Lilacs In May

Location Location Location

Whilst out scouting for meeting locations for work, I took some photos. This first below is actually where we ended up for a cup of coffee, Cliveden. What a fabulous thing National Trust membership is. The first photo below is of the 'hot' bed on the front lawn.

Intrigued to see the blue lupins in amongst the hot spectrum, but they do stand out.

An entrance to lure you in.

A morning coffee, in the shade, on a sunny, work day, what a treat. My cake was fat, sugar and egg free, I also expected it to be taste free, but it was delicious - nuts and fruit, in case you were wondering!

Our first location was Hedsor House. Unlike at Cliveden, which is only 5 minutes away, the silver ribbon of river is hidden, but the views of the Thames Valley are stunning.

Quartet and The Golden Compass were both filmed here. Hedsor House is not open to the public, it's a private house, owned by the Shepherd family.

Look at that sky!

Preparations for a wedding were underway, the house was bedecked in flowers. The cool shade of the entranceway was heavy with the smell of stock, which had been tied around the chairs lining the aisle.

With all of the windows open, a welcome breeze blew all the way through the ground floor.

Talking of a breath of fresh air.... welcome to the newest member of the royal family!

Top Tips For Warm Weather

Order yourself a St Germain Bellini (left in photo) - elderflower being the St Germain part, apparently. The suspicious looking object in the bottom of the glass is a loganberry, in case you were wondering. All delicious. Wassabi peas optional.

Lick your wrists (heard this on Radio 4 this morning). I looked around, made sure no one was looking and had a go, it worked for about 2 minutes. Assume you lick and repeat. Do not attempt this if you have just eaten beetroot - it may make people worry unduly.

Fill a hot water bottle and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours before bed.

I heard the weather girl say this morning, "another very hot day I'm afraid". How British is that?!

Who Needs Sunshine?

Recently I went to the Bowie exhibition at the V & A. It was beautifully curated. Filled with memorabilia of an amazing and eclectic career. Exhibits included posters, books, exhibits on how he wrote his lyrics, film clips, costumes, voice booths to listen at and a recreated gig room. He has had such a varied career; artist, writer, singer, actor and performer.

This exhibition is a bit like an obituary without the loss, when presented with the grand sum of Bowie's collected work you realise the effect Bowie has had on us. It revived lots of memories.

I found this book whilst searching for treasure for my on-line bookshop. This book is a fascinating snapshot of Britain in 1960, just before my time. Reading the transcript you are transported back to a time of innocence - and fear of what unleashing such powerful words would do to the youth of Britain. Reading it makes you want to shout; save your breath, the internets coming!

Daniel Radcliffe strikes me as an intense actor, so seriously wanting to get it right. He totally nails Billy the cripple in this black comedy at the Noel Coward theatre. There's still tickets if you fancy being transported to a poor 1930's Ireland, where a boy with a physical disability hears about a Hollywood screen test on the next island and desperately wants to try for it. The humour is black, the kind you need to survive poverty and adversity. Looking forward to Radcliffe's upcoming film on the beat poet Allen Ginsberg too now.

And talking of films, I can highly recommend Behind The Candelabra. The biopic of Liberace, with Michael Douglas as the closeted pianist, and Matt Damon as his troubled young lover Scott Thorson. A glossy film based on the book Scott wrote after Liberace died. Rob Lowe's all too brief appearance as a plastic surgeon who has overdosed on procedures himself is hilarious. Michael Douglas was Liberace; camp, caring and callous in equal measure.

Who needs good weather when there's so much else to do?

Trashed

I was lucky enough to see a new film out in cinemas called Trashed. Presented by Jeremy Irons and directed by Candida Brady, it is a thought provoking documentary. Trashed is the story of our rubbish, what happens to it and what will happen to us - and our children, if we don't change the way we live. It was sobering, shocking, upsetting but ultimately it was uplifting.

Trashed - the trailer

If more people watch it, more people will become aware of the cul de sac we are boxing ourselves into and maybe each of those people will think about the effects of decisions we make every day that increase landfill, pollute our oceans, air and earth.

I've made changes in the way I shop already. I always took my bags for life to the supermarket but now I take a bag for all shopping. Considering if the purchase is necessary and how to reduce the amount of packaging in any purchase is now a part of the decision making process.

At the end of the movie I was lucky enough to be part of a Q & A with Jeremy and Candida, they revealed they had shown this to MPs, and were planning to extend it into schools and colleges. I hope they are able to. It's a message that should be heard as far and wide as is possible.

Never mind an age appropriate warning, this film should come with a message:

Warning! Watching this movie will seriously affect your consumer conscience.

Have you seen it yet?

News vs views

As a contrast to the terrible events in Boston this week, the photos above are of the beauty in my week.

The striking white building top left is Danesfield House hotel, so named because of long ago Danes that built a fort on the hilltop. It has spectacular views of the Thames Valley below. I took the picture as a tree had come down on the front lawn. It was only when I downloaded the photos from my phone that I noticed the soft, gray blanket of cloud contrasting so starkly with the pristine, diamond white stone of the hotel.

Bottom left you may just spot a helicopter coming in to land. It was a very windy day. On the ground adjacent to the giant white H where the helicopter was to land, was anchored a marriage proposal printed on a large sheet. We waited to see if the proposal had been accepted, or whether the would-be-wife was berating her would-be-husband for organising a helicopter trip on a day of such high winds. The couple dismounted when the blades stopped whirring, both were smiling broadly.

The other two photos are of a walk I do down to the river when I need a quick burst of exercise, fresh air and a new perspective. The Magnolia looked elegantly defiant in the sharp, cold air. I was glad to see my favourite Oak tree had survived intact, the winds of recent days.

Happy weekend.

A Sunday Morning Stroll

My friend Andrea and I set off this morning on a lovely walk in the long awaited sunshine.

We walked footpaths edged with tall chalk cliffs, besides a clear stream edged with primroses.

Alongside the Thames where trees are still bare and new growth is sparse.

Through a brick tunnel that was a bit like this last winter, long, dark and cold.

Coming out to greet the yellow

(taken another time, at Chatsworth)

The sun has really taken it's time arriving this year, let's hope it stays a while. I was about to send out a search party.

Warmth

My cold weather essentials are;

a good blaze

sheepskin slippers

'warm' lighting

and last but not least, hot drinks.

Just picking these has warmed me up.

Blue Sky Thinking

My blogging has dropped off due to my focusing my energies on other things - work, family, home, bookshop and a sick friend. Hope you are well and looking forward to more light and blue skies.

Photo Phrenzy

At the beginning of 2012 I embarked on a 365 project; a photo a day, with the intention of loading the photos onto Pummelvision to make a slideshow of my year. Sadly, Pummelvision was taken down so I have made do with choosing 12 photos, one from each month of a very memorable year.

Click on the photo to view a larger version.