My beloved received only a few books and some promises from me for his birthday. But I threw salt over my shoulder, whispered sweet nothings to Gaia, looked out for pairs of Magpies and black cats and twiddled my lucky charms. Maybe something worked, for England won the Ashes on his birthday and made one […]
Congratulations to Monty Don on winning the PPA’s Columnist of the Year award. It’s reassuring to see that first class writing still wins out in a media world largely driven by scoops, stories, sleaze and sex. Over the years Monty’s Observer columns helped me see the beauty beyond the banal practicalities of what and how […]
My RHS Diploma practical results are due any day and I must be subconsciously more jittery about it than I’m prepared to admit. Last night I dreamt I’d got the results through and though I’d scraped a pass, I got 0/100 on one of the papers – not one I remembered sitting. One question was […]
My first weekly spot on Channel M went out last night – not bad for my first self-scripted and presenter-led broadcast! Looks like I’m getting a regular slot on Mondays. Click here for Channel M’s site…. http://www.channelm.co.uk/
The first rule of veg growing is that it is impossible not to grow a surplus of runner beans. And they aren’t the most versatile of cooking ingredients. Once you’ve steamed them, or steamed them then sauted with garlic or whatever, you’ve just about exhausted the repetoire. Any better suggestions most welcome – I do […]
I fell for the bleak beauty of Emily Bronte’s masterpiece as a love-lorn teenager, despite being required to read it for the ‘O’ level English Literature syllabus. It has stood up to multiple re-readings as an adult and I still think it the greatest novel I’ve ever read. I’ve followed many radio/tv/cinema adaptations over the […]