London Scenes Through Different Eyes

I visited London one day recently and whilst there took the opportunity to do a bus tour of the city. London was my home in the past (in the Bayswater area) for eight years. Also I was a regular visitor from Orpington during my childhood and teens, since I lived twenty five minutes train rideContinue reading “London Scenes Through Different Eyes”

Book Review: “London: A Spiritual History” by Edoardo Albert

I loved this book – attracted to it originally in the shop of the Royal Naval College Visitor Centre, Greenwich, by its delightful, playful cover design. London: A Spiritual History by Edoardo Albert begins by telling the history of London from well before the Roman invasion, and then bringing us through to the present day,Continue reading “Book Review: “London: A Spiritual History” by Edoardo Albert”

The Foundling Museum, London: Poignant History of Those Working to Overcome Eighteenth Century Social Injustice

Few things in this world can be more heartbreaking than a lost, abandoned or mortally-endangered child, in a world where there is precious little compassion or social justice. Some of our most well-known archetypal stories play into this  fear: Babes in the Wood is one, and Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel or TheContinue reading “The Foundling Museum, London: Poignant History of Those Working to Overcome Eighteenth Century Social Injustice”

London Stories, a Rich and Complex Tapestry

I’ve just spent a week in London, near the Tower, and my mind is full of London stories… stories of many different aspects of life in the city. First of all, I think of the tales we were told on the walk from Whitechapel tube station, the Hidden East End walk, led by one of LondonContinue reading “London Stories, a Rich and Complex Tapestry”

Build Something That Will Outlive You in Hamilton the Musical

I recently went to see the musical Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London where a magnificent cast through phenomenal singing and dancing told the story of a man who lived and died passionately and made big mistakes which swept him through to a memorable death. Through powerful singing and dynamic, electrifying, whiplash sharp dancing,Continue reading “Build Something That Will Outlive You in Hamilton the Musical”

Research in Southwark for Setting for New Novel

Last Saturday I was in Southwark, London SE1, researching locations for my new novel. To me, the setting for a novel must have a strong emotional connection. My first two novels were set in the Cotswolds, near where I now live. My next novels will be set in London, near where I was born andContinue reading “Research in Southwark for Setting for New Novel”

Opening Up the Genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Evocative and Imaginative Sherlock Holmes Exhibition at the Museum of London

The Museum of London have explored the story of Sherlock Holmes and his creation in an evocative and imaginative exhibition. When we visited on Saturday, as Sherlock fans, we found much to enthral, amuse and intrigue us. I was particularly captivated by a number of paintings of Victorian London in the fog, which Sir Arthur Conan DoyleContinue reading “Opening Up the Genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Evocative and Imaginative Sherlock Holmes Exhibition at the Museum of London”

A Night When Neil Gaiman – Quirky, Subversive, Whimsical – Held Us Entranced at the Barbican Hall, London

Last Friday evening I was at the Barbican, London, to hear author Neil Gaiman read some of his  short stories plus a novelette called The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, accompanied by the Australian string quartet Four Play. This production was originally commissioned by Sydney Opera House for its Graphic Festival andContinue reading “A Night When Neil Gaiman – Quirky, Subversive, Whimsical – Held Us Entranced at the Barbican Hall, London”

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”

A Man We Owe Our Freedom To

On a recent visit to the Churchill War Rooms in London, I experienced in my imagination what it would have been like to work as part of Winston Churchill’s team underground during the Second World War. As I walked through the offices and passed the displays and spent time in the Churchill Museum, I wasContinue reading “A Man We Owe Our Freedom To”