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”
Category Archives: places I love
Cutty Sark Uplifted and Renewed – Fantastic Transformation
It’s been twelve years since I last visited the Cutty Sark at Greenwich – and what a fantastic transformation. Greenwich and its neighbouring Woolwich in south London are part of my family background, and so this area has been familiar to me from childhood. This made my return to view the Cutty Sark even moreContinue reading “Cutty Sark Uplifted and Renewed – Fantastic Transformation”
And You Will Be Like a Watered Garden…
A well-watered garden is a powerful image of creativity, abundance, fruitfulness. When asked to describe or picture heaven, I often see it as a garden. The Prophet Isaiah, wrote these words: And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will beContinue reading “And You Will Be Like a Watered Garden…”
Sacred Spaces in the English Landscape and Places of Inspiration: Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral
Throughout the English landscape there’s evidence that our ancestors shaped the land, to conform to their own mythological landscape. I’ve written before about sacred spaces. In that article, I looked at some renowned locations in England where people have felt they’re in touch with something bigger than themselves – a sense of the numinous. AllContinue reading “Sacred Spaces in the English Landscape and Places of Inspiration: Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral”
Passion, Obsession and Curiosity at the Alternative Guide to the Universe, Hayward Gallery, London
What makes art? A listener posed this question to our tour guide as we stood looking at two art gallery walls covered with self-portraits of a bag lady, taken in various public photo booths. And this was the question I pondered as I , with my two teenage children, looked round an exhibition of wondersContinue reading “Passion, Obsession and Curiosity at the Alternative Guide to the Universe, Hayward Gallery, London”
Book Trailer Fun for Mystical Circles
I’ve been out and about in Warwick and the Cotswold hills with my film-maker daughter Abigail, having great fun as Abigail puts together a book trailer for my romantic suspense novel Mystical Circles. As I’ve watched our actors follow Abigail’s directions and play my characters, my story has come alive in a new way. I’veContinue reading “Book Trailer Fun for Mystical Circles”
In Search of Authenticity: Our True Selves and Our Essential Need for Community
How can we be true to ourselves? And how can we live in ways that are true to what we believe? And how can we mix up our inner and outer worlds, so we are not compartmentalised like a waffle, but rather, more like a bowl of spaghetti? These were just three of the questionsContinue reading “In Search of Authenticity: Our True Selves and Our Essential Need for Community”
The Royal Albert Hall, London – A Place of Wonder and Inspiration
The Royal Albert Hall is one of my favourite London venues. I was there on Saturday, with my daughter Abigail, watching a performance of Swan Lake in the round, by the English National Ballet. Sixty swans danced in the arena below us, transformed into a lake by skilful lighting effects; and the audience delighted inContinue reading “The Royal Albert Hall, London – A Place of Wonder and Inspiration”
Gazing Out to Sea: The Beauty of the English Coastline
I recently visited Beachy Head, East Sussex, with a friend and my two teenage children. As we walked along the cliftop, we all agreed: Where in the world could we go that’s more beautiful than this? Beachy Head, together with the Seven Sisters Country Park and Birling Gap are all protected by The National Trust and theyContinue reading “Gazing Out to Sea: The Beauty of the English Coastline”
A Golden Field, a Short Life That Touched Many Hearts, and a Poignant Moment in a Country Churchyard
This photo was taken on Milverton Hill, Leamington Spa between St James’s Church Old Milverton and the Saxon Mill, Warwick. At about 4.30pm on Friday 7 June I walked with my two teenage children through the churchyard to reach this field. A late summer afternoon in the English countryside is such a quiet, luminous, poignant time. And it’s one of theContinue reading “A Golden Field, a Short Life That Touched Many Hearts, and a Poignant Moment in a Country Churchyard”
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