I visited a National Trust property a few days ago – Lyveden New Bield near Oundle in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside. This is an unusual property in that it was build by an Elizabethan gentleman who left it unfinished. And it hasn’t fallen down, or been looted, or demolished, or built over, in theContinue reading “Faded Splendour, Unfinished Grand Schemes, Unfulfilled Dreams”
Category Archives: dreams and dreaming
Ancient Civilisations: Reflections From Stonehenge
Last week I was sitting in the café at the new English Heritage Visitors Centre near Stonehenge, listening to a conversation between two American visitors. “Well,” said one, “I definitely think it was three things; a church, a burial ground and a place of healing.” “You don’t mean church,” said her friend. “Oh no. Well,Continue reading “Ancient Civilisations: Reflections From Stonehenge”
Holywell Retreat, A Place of Spiritual Inspiration on the Sussex Coast
I’ve written before in this blog about those sacred spaces which are known in Ancient Celtic terms as thin places. These are places where you are led to believe that the veil between the visible and the invisible worlds is thin. They don’t have to be obviously religious places. In fact once I read ofContinue reading “Holywell Retreat, A Place of Spiritual Inspiration on the Sussex Coast”
The RADA Student Who Felt Like Packing Her Bags and Going Back North
The BBC Radio 4 Today programme is often a source of inspiration to me. And today at 8.20am I heard an item about the party for former RADA students that the Queen will be holding in Buckingham Palace this evening (Monday 17 February 2014) I’m very interested in the life of an actor, partly because the acting world doesContinue reading “The RADA Student Who Felt Like Packing Her Bags and Going Back North”
Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption
We love listing “The 50 Top … Films, Books, Magic Tricks, Comedians”, etc. etc. And a list of the top films will always change from year to year. But to my mind, The Shawshank Redemption makes the top of the list. And I saw it again very recently on TV. I watched it for the first timeContinue reading “Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption”
Peter Pan, Lost Childhood and Role Reversals in Traditional Children’s Tales
At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon on Friday night ( 24th January 2014) we saw a reversal of roles for Peter Pan and Wendy. I always like to give myself time to read the programme notes before a performance (if at all possible!) And the most intriguing notes on this production of Wendy and Peter Pan were written by theContinue reading “Peter Pan, Lost Childhood and Role Reversals in Traditional Children’s Tales”
Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon
Nobody Owns the Moon. On Friday morning January 10th 2014 I heard Mishal Husain interview Ian Crawford and Nicola Triscott on this topic on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Nicola Triscott has mounted an exhibition on London’s South Bank called Republic of the Moon. She has transformed The Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf intoContinue reading “Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon”
Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013
We spent a few days in England’s lovely Lake District during the recent autumn half term. The Lake District is special to me, not only because of its association with numerous famous writers, with Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, William Wordsworth; but also because of memories from childhood holidays there, and the fact that I regularlyContinue reading “Lovely Lake District in Autumn 2013”
Why So Many of Us Love Doctor Who
So many children’s bedrooms up and down the UK and around the world must look similar to this one, in our home. In the recent celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the BBC drama series Doctor Who, the question has been posed: why do you think Doctor Who is so popular? Since everyone in ourContinue reading “Why So Many of Us Love Doctor Who”
The Dream of William Morris at Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds
My dream, wrote the designer William Morris, is a dream of what has never been… and therefore, since, the world is alive, and moving yet, my hope is the greater that it one day will be… dreams have before now come about of things so good… we scarcely think of them more than the daylight,Continue reading “The Dream of William Morris at Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds”
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