Hasta la victoria siempre

I took off for my Christmas tour of Cuba just a couple of days after Obama's historic 'Gimme Five' announcement and so, as expected, many discussions to be had there about what changes might now be in store for the island, and when. With my albeit, limited experience, I would say that any changes won't happen any time soon, at least for the regular folks of Cuba. Though I'm told that even in the past couple of years, more small private shops, bars and restaurants have opened and the numbers of casas particulares has increased for sure. Meanwhile the resilience and necessary creativity of daily life there is to be admired and for us tourists - and for Cubans especially at Christmas - the pleasures of rum, cold beer, music and dancing are all to be enjoyed. Looking at the world from the Cuban perspective, it was alarming to read in the weekly Granma how the European economy is essentially going to hell in a handcart as we have 'descended to a mere banana republic, hanging on the tail of the USA'. Any moves towards entente after decades of animosity must surely be good for mutual understanding. So I reckon Cuba is up there amongst the most fascinating places I've ever been to. And I agree now with the instruction that I thought was just a trite tourist trap, to visit soon before it changes.         

The Poppy debate

The sea of poppies at the Tower of London, designed by Paul Cummins, has so captured the public's imagination that all of the over 800,000 ceramic stems have now been sold raising over £11mill for military charities. It strikes a chord for me in a number of ways.
Several years ago, as Acting Head of Marketing for Historic Royal Palaces, I spent a year based at the Tower of London and every day walked from Tower Hill tube station and around the moat to the main entrance gate, to be greeted by stern Yeoman Warders. The deep and wide moat space creates a sense of  'otherness' and distance between the outside world and daily business of life in the inner world of the Tower. Over the years I've seen the moat more frequently used, hosting event marquees, costumed pageants and of course, an ice rink, but this latest installation is quite something.
More recently, my marketing work for The Poppy Factory in Richmond also makes a links.Every year over 25 million poppies are made at the Factory and sold to The Royal British Legion for their Poppy Appeal. Not only creating jobs for wounded, injured and sick veterans at Richmond, the sales proceeds contribute to more employment opportunities for veterans in many different organisations way beyond Richmond. This year the Tower's installation provides both an individual and collective platform for wartime remembrance concentrated on that one single London location, complementing the mobile network of single poppies pinned to coats, hats and jackets all across the country.  
However I do agree to some extent with Jonathan Jones who wrote in the Guardian this week that the Tower's  work of art should show more of the horror of war and 'not sweep the grisly facts under a red carpet of artificial flowers'. And yes, it does only commemorate the British victims of WWI and not the French, Russians nor Germans who also died in their millions. But surely, for all of that, the evident poignancy of the work and the quiet contemplation of the thousands of visitors to the Tower over the past few weeks must surely count for some measure of raised awareness and understanding of the human tragedy of war. 

In memoriam

There have been two deaths this month which have touched my relatively steady little world.
As a child growing up in Derby, we took regular family weekend jaunts out to the Peak District and one of my favourite places was Chatsworth House. We didn't visit inside the House but the park and gardens were as magical as Disneyland to me. The exotic flowers in the steamy glass houses and the massive staircase fountain were absolute favourites. So I was saddened to hear of the death of the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire who, as the unexpected chatelaine of Chatsworth from the 1950s, and one of the feisty and positively extraordinary Mitford sisters, practically single-handedly rescued the family and house from bankruptcy and ruin. She was the visionary and entrepreneur behind the  success of the house and vast estate as a family home, wonderful visitor attraction and much-loved local trader and employer. What an operator! 
The second death, much more tragic and untimely, is of young Alice Gross from my own little community, who was murdered close by here, along the canal in Hanwell. The neighbourhood has been under the cloud of her disappearance since the end of August with hopeful yellow ribbons tied on every possible tree and post. They have all been taken down now with only a vast collection of flowers and tributes being maintained at the Hanwell Clock just up the road. The police investigation  and inquest is on-going so closure is far away. My heart goes out to her family.  

Yes or No

I think I will put my head above the parapet on this momentous week for the British constitution. Whilst I only have a theoretical vote in the Scottish Referendum, I'm afraid that I am still an 'undecided' at this time. However if I did live in Scotland I'd probably have a postal vote like I do here in England and so would have had to have made my mind up and voted by now and so be missing out on the ever more desperate debates raging across the media and amongst my family and friends. I have close cousins in Scotland who I know are all 'pro-no'. I always feel very at home whenever I visit Scotland and in my heart, I would agree with them. But I'm also so annoyed by the bevy of threats from Westminster and Big Business that Scotland will go to hell in a handcart if it votes 'yes' - patronising advice from anyone drives me mad. So maybe it would be thrilling to prove the doom-mongers wrong and take the 'yes' road to independence ? But then I worry for the Wales. I'm half Welsh afterall, and where does this devolution leave them ? I promise I'll decide by Thursday - in theory - and meanwhile I'm now going to watch the last 15 mins of the Dimbleby interviews on BBC1 - might help....

Get up and go

I'm feeling very relaxed today, catching up with chores and staying indoors and dry from the Bank Holiday rain. The main reason I'm so chilled is that I slept for 10 hours last night and then dozed along to Radio 4 for a couple more. And that's the second night in a row. Admittedly I have just had a busy few days including long walks and exercise but I think I'm just pooped after a full-on few months of work and life in general. And I so need my sleep. Consequently I groaned when I heard the latest news that 4.30am is the 'new 6am' for power-raisers. Ye gods, will the pressure never end? It seems that I need to set my 'bed time alarm' gradually 15 mins earlier for the next few weeks and bingo, I too will be able to get up and go at dawn with the rest of the trail blazers. Willpower is proven to be strongest in the morning - the best time for creativity, strategic thinking and focus. According to Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast,  getting up early 'holds the key to improving your health, career and personal life.' I can't see that it will do much for my personal life; evenings out won't be up to much for a start. Maybe my career will benefit as I could fit in even more work each day but then where does that leave the elusive work:life balance that I'm always chasing? Hmm - maybe I'll start with Laura's recommended 'what to do early tomorrow morning' list and see if that gives me enough motivation to give it a go .

Food banks not just for Christmas

I've just been catching up today on some newspapers from the past couple of weeks, sitting  in the garden in this lovely weather. I never get the time to read them all and so save the best bits for a lazy day. I read two sharply contrasting articles about Christmas .
Firstly an article excitedly anticipating Waitrose Christmas goodies. Surely too hot to be thinking about that but anyway, it seems that we can all look forward to another icky, sell-out  Heston Blumenthal creation, the Waitrose Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding. With what is described as a 'nod to the popular British pud', Mr B has created a mix of hot sticky toffee apple sponge pudding, spiced with candied apple and a caramel sauce. Barely a nod to traditional Christmas pudding, I would say.
In the same 'saved' pile, I found a feature on food banks and the all-party Parliamentary enquiry which is now underway and which made me think about Christmas again. Last Christmas, in response to pleas from local Residents' Association neighbours, I remembered to buy pots of baby food whenever I popped to the shops, and so gathered a bag full to donate. Apparently all food banks suffer from an abundance of tinned soup and a shortage of baby food.  And people give generously at Christmas. But then, no doubt like others, come the New Year I stopped my collection. According to The Guardian, the use of food banks has exploded across the country in the past four years. And they are not an easy option: one voucher carefully considered by one of several agencies, provides food for 3 days and a person can only have up to three vouchers. They really are a stop-gap rescue.  
So I've decided to start buying in baby food again and to give more regularly and I'll look out for the report due later this year. You can buy quite a lot of basics for the same price as one of Heston's Christmas treats.  

A jewel of an evening

Of all my encounters over these past few days, meeting the  great- granddaughter of Garibaldi at the Library & Museum of Freemasonry was the most memorable . The Museum has a new exhibition marking the 150th anniversary and retracing the General's visit to London in 1864. To celebrate the opening, the Tricolore Theatre Company presented a re-enactment of Giuseppe's greeting and speech to adoring crowds from a balcony at Crystal Palace, at the Museum. Garibaldi's leadership of the 'Expedition of the Thousand' in Southern Italy had already captivated public opinion. He was met by and dined with both royalty and exiled revolutionaries and the media of the day hailed him as a national hero. He led thousands of volunteer soldiers fighting for the unification of Italy, emancipation of women and the abolition of ecclesiastical property. In so many respects, a man before his time.

To this day, the values of Freemasonry are still based on fairness and honesty and equality, chiming with Garibaldi's principles . In recognition of the support of Freemasons, his great-granddaughter, Anita Garibaldi, now Head of the Garibaldi Foundation, presented one of only five specially minted anniversary medals to the Museum Director at the evening's reception. And so another special 'jewel' was added to the Museum's collection. And a special evening will be remembered by all of us there.

Safer cycling

A few weeks ago I visited Copenhagen for the first time and saw for myself the brilliant cycling facilities they have there. It seems like every resident has a bike and for tourists, there are loads of cycle hire places . Even better are the widest cycle lanes I have very seen. A recent report by the World Health Organisation claims that 500 lives a year in London could be saved if cycling increased to 26% of journeys which is the level in the Danish capital. This compares to the 3% of journeys in London that are by bike. It is estimated that over 3,000 Londoners die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution and in 2012, over 600 cyclists were seriously injured in London and there were 14 deaths. Albeit nearly 10 years ago now, I can vividly remember seeing the beautiful face of a colleague from Somerset House smiling up at me from the front page of the Evening Standard, and then dazed, reading that she had been killed riding her bike on her way to work in London. Since then I've ridden bikes in the country with friends but haven't dared do so in town, not even a handy Boris bike. And actually, despite all Boris's publicity, it's local councils who are in charge of 95% of London's roads so it's our newly-elected councillors who we need to keep lobbying about safer cyling. The Danish scenario is but a distant dream.   

Still skating

As a mark of how long I have been living in London, I remember the Undercroft at the Southbank Centre being recently established as a rough, grungy and thrilling skate park. Never seen skateboarding before and certainly not in such an under-world echo-chamber. In fact, that whole location was somewhat dark and threatening - hurry through and don't dawdle. So I was only too pleased just before Christmas to find myself strolling along the terrace in front of the now very familiar and well loved Undercroft and to be asked to sign a petition in support of the Long Live South Bank (LLSB) campaign to  save the Undercroft from the Southbank Centre's sweeping re-development plans. I was well impressed by not only the professionalism of the campaign and the passion of the campaigners but moreover, felt genuinely moved to do my little bit to keep spirited and brave skateboarders in their adopted place of sport and performance. How could all that be transported and replicated elsewhere? And now me and over 50,000 others have helped to achieve at least a stay of execution for the skate park. Southbank Centre has gone back to its drawing board to review the plans for its new site and how to accommodate the skateboarders rather than how best to shunt them off to the edges. What next we wait to see.......

Switching off

I've finally given in to peer pressure and bought myself an iPad. Hardly an 'early adaptor' it has taken me some time to be persuaded of the benefits. How lucky am I, now that I can pick up emails in every room of my house, not only on my trustee Blackberry but also on the iPad, as well as on the PC in my office. Let alone from anyone else's office I may be working in and any old place in between. Admittedly the pleasure of tuning in to BBC iPlayer from the comfort of my kitchen table is turning out to be a real boon. But just as I'm getting used to browsing the net wherever I may be, I'm reading how experts are predicting that 36% of babies are already addicted to iPads. According to this Halifax Insurance survey, on average each household owns nearly £1,000 worth of electrical devices. And parents are being warned by the Government's Children's Commissioner not to allow gadgets at the dinner table and to limit themselves to two television sets per household. So just as I'm gearing up for more of the stuff, the rest of the UK is being told to slow down.  Swiftly followed by that multi-millionaire digital guru, Arianna Huffington, telling us all to "switch off in order to find inner peace".  It seems that we all need to find that middle way between stimulation and tranquillity. Hey ho - it's back to the drawing board for me then - I expect I'll find one on the iPad !  

Pride Park

Some good and bad news on the parks and gardens front this month. Thomas Heatherwick's wonderful 'garden bridge' over the Thames is moving closer to the starting blocks. The proposed new pedestrian-only bridge is to link Temple Place with the South Bank. Full of flowers, grasses, shrubs and even trees, the bridge will be a year-round 'floating paradise', subject to at least another £100mill being raised to join the £30mill already pledged by the Government.
This news is in contrast to the forecast that public sector funding for our lovely local parks all over the country will fall by 60% in the next 10 years. So local communities are being encouraged to bid for pots of £100,000 to support local projects with examples such as the New York High Line being a benchmark for success. Anything is possible when business works together with local people passionate about a cause but I do think it's a big ask.
Then closer to my old home, I was pleased to see that Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has obtained an injunction against the near closure by the Council of The Sanctuary, the local Nature Reserve in Derby's Pride Park. Practically half of this precious wildlife habitat is due to make way for a professional cycle track.
So London may get its fabulous new footbridge whilst local parks across the country struggle to keep their green spaces alive - that's not much to be proud of.

Space and light

Beetling around London, head down and these days, usually umbrella up, one doesn't take much notice of what is going on above our heads. But this month I've been lucky enough to be reminded of the joy of sweeping views above, and from a contemporary perspective. Firstly a colleague and I were invited to a breakfast presentation at 7.30 am at the very top of The Shard.  The air was mercifully clear that morning and out in the virtual 'outside' of the 72nd floor, the view across London was breath-taking. Not only can you see the City and Canary Wharf in all their steely glory but also the soft, creamy shapes of historic London landscapes. It seems that everyone is getting a taste, literally, for these heady heights. A survey by Squaremeal rates Oblix Grill, on the 32nd floor of The Shard, as the most visited restaurant in London. Even the bars on these mid-set floors offer a brilliant way to see the views for the price of a cocktail or cup of coffee.
Also this month, I had a meeting with some guys at Kings Cross Station.  I travel regularly from there these days and whilst I really do appreciate the great new shops and cafes compared to the crowded shed of the old station, I forget to look up at the wide swooping roof above me. One of the colleagues I met hadn't been to Kings Cross since it re-opened and he was visibly gob-smacked by the new design and build. As Stephen Bayley would say, the new Kings Cross station is a perfect example of the qualities of great architecture, namely space and light. The feeling of wellbeing one gets on entering a building is based purely on the spontaneous reading of these two qualities with the sense of detail and finish being far less important. For us busy commuters, let's absorb all the benefits we can......