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”
Category Archives: thoughts
Totally Devoted to Jane Austen
One of my favourite Christmas gifts was one I bought for myself for 10p in the late stock-clearance at my son’s school Christmas Fair – an audio book of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I’ve been listening to it in the car over and over again. And despite Death Comes to Pemberley on TV afterContinue reading “Totally Devoted to Jane Austen”
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”
A Fresh Insight Into One of History’s Villains, With the Help of Shakespeare and David Tennant
The highlight of our Christmas was a visit to the Barbican Theatre, London, on Saturday 21 December 2013, to see David Tennant performing in the role of Shakespeare’s Richard II. Richard II is one of English history’s villains. So who better to play him on stage and change our view of him than one ofContinue reading “A Fresh Insight Into One of History’s Villains, With the Help of Shakespeare and David Tennant”
Standing Ovations and Encores for Songlines Community Choir in Leamington Spa
On Saturday night 7 December 2013 our local community choir, Songlines, conducted by Bruce Knight, gave a concert at St Mary’s Church, in Leamington Spa, to raise money for Water Aid. It was a night where we saw and felt the power of music to bring joy and to uplift. A standing ovation and callsContinue reading “Standing Ovations and Encores for Songlines Community Choir in Leamington Spa”
New Official Trailer for Mystical Circles
Watch the new official trailer for Mystical Circles on my YouTube channel. Directed, produced, filmed and scripted by my daughter Abigail Robinson, who is a Creative Media Production student, it’s been six months in the making, and Abigail has done brilliantly. For those of you living in England, in the deep chill of November, watchContinue reading “New Official Trailer for Mystical Circles”
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”
A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy
I’m a great admirer of JK Rowling both as an author, and on a personal level. So when I knew she’d published her first adult novel, I was keen to read it. When I began to read The Casual Vacancy several months ago, I found it a struggle to get through the unrelenting nastiness ofContinue reading “A Review of JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy”
200 Years of Australian Art at the Royal Academy: Connections Between Painting and the Spiritual Realm
From indigenous art through to ‘discovery’ by European explorers, this exhibition of Australian paintings at the Royal Academy, London, in November 2013 took me on a journey through the spiritual heart of Australia. As Russell Drysdale said, “In Australia there is a quality of strangeness that you do not find … anywhere else.” Reviews of theContinue reading “200 Years of Australian Art at the Royal Academy: Connections Between Painting and the Spiritual Realm”
Friends At Last: Building Trust in the Animal World
Molly has now overcome her resistance to the idea of an alien cat in the house with her (albeit her mother) But it took Willow a little while to overcome her annoyance at her daughter Molly’s initial rejection of her. She spent a few days expressing her annoyance, and trying to exert some discipline. SheContinue reading “Friends At Last: Building Trust in the Animal World”
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