Buy a book for Christmas!

Three more shopping days until Christmas so not too late to buy books for your loved ones. I've read two articles in the paper over the last couple of days, both of which are upsetting for all of us who love books and reading. We all know that public libraries are being slowly strangled to death. The latest statistics from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy confirm that loans of books have dropped by a quarter over the last five years and that spending by local councils on libraries has fallen by £66m in the past year alone. It's children and young people who are impacted most - we are snatching one of the most important pleasures and life skills out of the hands of young people as austerity hit councils cut and cut again on local services. Libraries are also the only place these days where you can get free access to the internet and for folks on benefits who don't have their own smart phones, their library can literally be a lifeline. It's not so long ago since I joined neighbours here in Hanwell to campaign to keep our local Carnegie Library open and I bet we'll have to re-group before long.
The second upsetting article I read was about the decline in fiction book sales and in advances, such that few authors can support themselves through writing alone. A report commissioned by the Arts Council and carried out by the digital book publisher Canelo, found that the fall in both hardback and paperback fiction sales over the past several years has not been made up by ebook sales - while the average price of a novel has fallen in real terms over the past 15 years. Researchers are predicting that only the best-off writers will in future, be able to support themselves, Hence the Arts Council intervening with plans to offer grants to authors of literary fiction and independent publishers, to ensure continued diversity, especially outside of London.
So if you can't support your local library for whatever reason, I urge you to buy a book for Christmas - and make it a novel!

Charles AND Margaret

I was up in Scotland this month, visiting friends in Helensburgh. Their lovely house is nearby The Hill House, the famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed home, now managed by National Trust Scotland. We've been there several times now and are always delighted by Mackintosh's genius use of space and light to make very room feel like an event, every time you step in. Would it retain that power, do you think, if you lived there permanently? For the first time, we also visited another Mackintosh gem, the House for an Art Lover. This one was designed by Mackintosh and his equally talented wife Margaret Macdonald, as a competition entry to a German design magazine in 1900. Mackintosh didn't win the award and so the house wasn't actually built but his design portfolio was re-discovered and the house was built in 1990s, out at Bellahouston Park, just outside the town centre in Glasgow. It's a fine exhibition now of decorative interior design within those stark, typically Mackintosh walls. And so very pleasing to see Margaret getting her fair share of  the action - much interpretation of her skills and flair and especially her use of beautiful colours. I love that their collaboration made the magic happen. More Mackintosh yet to see - I'll fix to re-visit Glasgow next year......

That BIg Storm

I've been doing some 'just in time' pruning in my garden today - such lovely autumn weather. I use the RHS website for guidance as to what to do and when. I have fruit trees plus magnolia and hydrangea and forsythia and a towering fig tree to keep in check plus a Silver Birch which will need professional attention but will need to wait now until next spring. Phew - there's always something! Thinking about trees, I was remembering the articles I read in the press earlier this month as we remembered the night of the Great Storm on  15 October 1987. Can you believe it, 30 years ago now!? I was living in my lovely ground floor garden flat on the tree-lined Brentham Garden Estate in Ealing at the time. I remember like it was yesterday, being awoken from a deep, early hours of the morning sleep by an almighty crash and the sudden cold, sharp and pungent pine smell of forest as the top of a tree smashed through my bedroom window. Luckily it was just the tip that reached into my window. Not so lucky for a car crushed under it, parked just alongside. Nearly 50 trees came down on the estate that night and although there was extensive damage, no-one was hurt. I remember having the next day off work, partly as transport was hugely disrupted and anyway, I had to get my window fixed and wait for 'the council' to shift the tree. A year later the Mayor of Ealing planted a baby oak tree to commemorate that night and the location chosen was by the pavement, right beside my garden. I no longer live on the lovely estate but see the now sturdy oak tree whenever I drive past.  I hope it has deep roots! 

Quite the 'Modern Rambler'

The Chiswell Street Brewery in London was my hostelry of choice last weekend when I spent the afternoon at the National Geographic Traveller Festival of all things foreign and exotic. The programme was choc-a-bloc full of wonderful things: Babbel language lessons; travel writing masterclasses; photography sessions; bushcraft survival skills; how to dance Flamenco; try your hand (or feet) at Taekwondo; Himalayan yoga; panels of inspirational and experienced explorers to listen to and engage with; all washed down with drinks from around the world accompanied by Sicilian dishes provided by the Tasting Sicily restaurant.
As well as sampling as much of the programme as my time allowed – I now know how to pitch a column to National Geographic Traveller editors, switch my hips Flamenco-style and mix a crackin’ Bahamas fruit cocktail – I was there in a formal 'work' capacity to accompany Julia Bradbury as she represented Ramblers Walking Holidays and headlined the afternoon panel entitled “Travel Geeks: The Modern Rambler”.
The iconic Porter Tun Room was full with a closely attentive audience and we all enjoyed lively tales of rambling, hiking and even losing one’s way, along worldwide trails. Panel members with Julia were Adrian Phillips, MD of Bradt Travel Guides, Daniel Raven-Ellison, geographer and campaigner, and writer and explorer, Daniel Neilson. The panel session was moderated by National Geographic Editor, Maria Pieri. Discussions began with tips on how to get started as a rambler and included simply getting some comfy shoes and walking from your own doorstep – you don’t have to be an explorer to connect with local landscapes – start small and build walking into your lifestyle. Nor do you need high-tech gear or equipment. Flat level walking along footpaths and canals usually means you won’t lose your way or have to struggle with climbs. Favourite UK walking destinations included the Peak District, Pembrokeshire and of course, the Lake District. Other than decent shoes – or decent boots if you plan to walk for longer distances and/or on uneven terrain, a decent waterproof is required and some cheap waterproof trousers. If you do want to invest in more sophisticated kit, then there is so much to choose from these days as hiking and outdoor gear is so fashionable. Overseas walking destinations of choice included Andorra, the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa, the Azores and the Balkans – a walking holiday brings you close to the locals – you can see and meet more local life much more easily on foot.
I can attest to this as with a modest investment in kit, I've begun to really enjoy days out walking - and the company of 'old' and new friends has been super.
This was National Geographic Traveller’s first such event to celebrate their 7^th year in the UK. I look forward to their continued publishing success and more super events.

A mile a day

I expect you saw or heard about the latest Public Health England (PHE) Survey results released this week, that 41% of adults in the UK, aged between 40 to 60 do not do even manage 10 minutes of brisk walking over the course of a single month. I can't believe that - surely everyone can manage 10 minutes!? The survey report goes on to explain that folks are missing out on important health benefits if they don't achieve this milestone- you don't say! Our lifestyles have changed over time -  we are 20% less active now than we were in the 1960s and on average walk 15 miles less a year than 2 decades ago. The sedentary nature of our modern, busy lives makes it difficult for many to find the time for enough exercise to benefit their health. Actually, for all my sneering, I do understand how easy it is to jump in the car everywhere. Having to commute by public transport in London might be a nightmare from time to time, but it helps keeps you fit! And I was very disparaging of PHE's solution to the nation's health problems, namely the release of a new App called Active10 - bit too trendy for my liking. But then I read that over 100,000 people have already downloaded it - so what do I know! Much more to my liking is the solution to tackling children's obesity in a school in my local borough of Ealing. As well as healthy school meals, Stanhope Primary has introduced the 'daily mile' and no matter what the weather, every child has to run, skip or walk a mile long track every day. The kids love it and are all the healthier for it. Maybe I'll download that app - it might surprise me....   

Sir Norman in Motion

The indefatigable Norman Foster has been on my mind lately. I saw in the press his proposed plans for temporary accommodation for the Houses of Parliament whilst the Palace of Westminster is being restored. Or rather when and if it is restored, given that nothing has been agreed as yet. The suggested glass domed 'pop-up' structures to be built on Horse Guards Parade look to me like a brilliant idea. Pre-fabricated, they can be installed quickly and then taken away and re-used afterwards, Just a stone's throw away from Parliament Square, also very convenient. One objection I read, was that the Queen would have no place for Trooping the Colour - the least of all problems surely, given the expense of the whole vast  restoration and re-housing project?
Secondly, Sir Norman's vision was also showcased at the 'Cartier in Motion' exhibition at the Design Museum. Intrigued as to what he might bring to the story, I visited last weekend with my architect godson. The amazing ingenuity and design engineering of the aviator Santos-Dumont and his friend Cartier were beautifully displayed by curator Sir Norman. The influence on art and architecture of those interwar years of pioneering travel was illustrated via specially designed exhibition cases and well written graphic panels and with superb models - all the handiwork of Foster+ Partners studios. I'm afraid, dear reader, that it is too late to visit the exhibition because as it has just closed. But don't let that put you off investing in Cartier. Having seen the exhibition, I'd recommend the iconic Santos - almost tempted to buy one myself!

Drink more milk!

A friend told me the other day that it was high time I stopped drinking regular milk and moved on to almond milk - apparently delicious and of a much higher nutritional value. "So what about my calcium intake?" I asked. "Oh, there's no calcium in milk any more", she replied, "cows don't get out in the fields and eat grass these days so milk isn't what it used to be!". Ye gods, what is the world coming to, I wonder? Anyway, I've checked online and cow's milk still has all that lovely calcium, even the watery fat-free variety and it's almond milk that doesn't do the business for healthy teeth and bones, unless it's full of supplements and who wants more stuff added to our food and drink?  As long as we buy organic milk, then we know that the trusty cows have been fed at least 60% of diet of grass and forage - that works for me, even though it's always that bit more expensive. But what's more worrying is a literally underlying problem affecting the land from which all crops are grown and that is falling levels of selenium. Selenium is a nutrient found in the soil which helps to protect our immune system and climate change is leading to lowering levels in areas of east England, mirroring the trend across parts of Asia and Africa. There's now an agricultural campaign to add minute supplements to field fertiliser rather than the possibility of us all having to take much more expensive supplements to our diets. I'll do all I can to keep my diet simple and supplement free but maybe that's an unrealistic notion these days.

National Army Museum hits home

Since the disgusting bomb attack in Manchester last week, we're being told to get used to seeing troops on the streets of London, patrolling with police officers. So as I was in Kensington today, I decided it was high time that I visited the newly opened National Army Museum, down on Royal Hospital Road, to learn more about the in some way, shape or form, ever-present military presence in our lives. The re-build does not disappoint - the place is unrecognisable compared to the dark and dingy former warren of a place. Soaring ceilings, wide exhibition halls, wonderful and sometimes deliberately 'dark' lighting all make space for masses of stories, objects, paintings, films, models and inter-actives. The gallery themes of how the army has influenced culture and society over the generations and what it's like to be a soldier, now and in the past. particularly fascinated - and appalled me. War, conflict, life and death - thankfully have never really played any part in my personal life, yet were all brought to life in startling ways. Over time, one has read or heard or seen many such similar accounts or objects or photos, but to have them presented in a concentrated and deliberately thought-provoking manner, was certainly impactful and unsettling. I was pleased to de-stress on a steady walk back to the Kings Road and to make my way safely home - much to be thankful for - and to be thinking about......     

Celebrating Shakespeare

It's Shakespeare's birthday today so I am happy to mark it by celebrating my visit last evening with a friend to Westminster Abbey. I wasn't quite sure what was in store for us so the joint theatrical event with Shakespeare's Globe was a wonderful surprise. Scattered around the Abbey floor were maybe 20 or more brilliant Globe players, reciting or declaiming Shakespeare's famous speeches and sonnets. As the audience strolled around the glorious spaces - aisles and chapels - the actors caught our attention - whether just one person or a group gathered together. Each short performance felt personal and perfect. Sublime acting in a sublime setting. A privilege indeed to be there.  And just recently I have been fortunate enough to see Royal Shakespeare Company actor David Tennant starring in 'Don Juan in Soho'. What a storming performance - unflaggingly dissolute but gloriously honest in his disapproval of today's celebrity culture and dishonest politics. Shakespearean theatre at its best - how lucky am I!

Sad thoughts this spring weekend

The weather is beautifully sunny today and it feels warm, like spring is really here. The clocks spring forward tonight too so all very timely. Not so the tragic attack at Westminster this week. Some of you will know that I spent many a month a few years back working on a project at Lambeth Palace Library. Westminster Bridge was my regular route across the river and I'd often have to step off the pavement to make my way past the groups of tourists taking photos up and down stream. No wonder the mad murderer in his hire car caused so much carnage. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. And also with all those passers-by who spontaneously stopped to help the injured, without a second's thought for their own safety - who knew what other traps might have been set? Thanks too to friends and family who thought of me and contacted me at this time. I was safely working away in leafy Lemsford Village so well out of harm's way. Keep safe, dear reader. 

Fishy business

Arriving late from work the other Friday, I decided that the most speedy contribution to my supper of fresh veg already stored in the kitchen, would be hot, battered fish from my lovely local Hanwell  'The Golden Chip' fish and chip shop. Top of the menu was cod and I joined the queue snaking out of the door - Friday is always their busiest night. But my delicious supper got me thinking about an article I read recently about cod numbers falling, not only due to overfishing but also due to warming waters. The British Ecological Society reckons that the great British fish supper could be on the way out, to be replaced with squid and chips. Apparently squid are loving our seawaters which are becoming less hospitable to species such as cod. And if that wasn't worrying enough, another article warned of the possibility of eating plastic with our fish. Millions of tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea each year and fish eat it and we eat the fish. It's found in a third of UK-caught fish such as cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish. As well as bottles and bags and the like, microplastics from manufacturing are too small to be filtered out of our waste water systems and that's why huge quantities end up in the sea. To be fair, we'd have to eat massive amounts of fish to be affected but the battle is on worldwide to reduce the use of plastic, to increase its recyclability and so cut down on the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans. It's a major ecological disaster waiting to happen.

Desert Island Discs

So did you listen to David Beckham's Desert Island choice today? I did, along with thousands of others, despite being fed-up with all the pre-programme publicity from the BBC. Good to get that 75th anniversary edition out of the way. I don't remember the very early days (!) but I do remember listening to lovely Roy Plomley's programmes and then came Parkie. I didn't like newbie, Sue Lawley when she took over whereas I think Kirsty is more of a class act - she has the perfect knack of teasing out surprising and often poignant insights from what sound like innocuous little questions. David Beckham spoke quite openly about some of the more difficult times of his life though, to be fair, pretty well did say that he's been blessed more than most with his rewards for hard work and good fortune. The format of the programme is a masterstroke for radio anyway - how can something which is broadcast so publicly adopt such a mood of intimacy which in turn, sometimes reveals moments of such intensity. Like many of you, I'm sure, a few years back I prepared my own list of discs, just for fun. I can't remember where I put it but anyway, it's bound to be different to what I'd choose now. The programme trend away from classical choices to 'pop' music I think reflects the diversity of the guests over the years as much as what it says about musical tastes. I know I'd have a mix of both - but then I'll never get on the island anyway so, in theory,  I can chop and change to my heart's content.