Get ahead - Get a hat!

Just out::  an inspiring new craft book by milliner and journalist, Mary Jane Baxter.

“The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking” is exactly that. The first section outlines clearly with illustrations the basic techniques needed to create a fabulous hat or headband, while the second part contains detailed instructions for 25 projects, ranging from very simple to more advanced. At the back of the book are full-sized templates, including some for the lovely organdy flowers featured on several creations. There’s a wide range of styles, from a sparkly mini beret to a “Fabulous ‘50s Percher” (fashioned from an old straw boater), a "Fast Feather Fascinator" (see below) and even an ‘emergency’ hat, to be rustled up if you get an unexpected invitation which requires some elegant headgear.

Mary Jane (a judge in BBC 2's recent Handmade Revolution series) has been creating hats since she was a teenager. Her first collection was sold in Harvey Nichols, and she has since created bespoke hats for many well-known personalities.
The book is published by Kyle Books (£18.99), just in time for Ascot and all those summer weddings. Mary Jane even includes a useful section on how to find a hat style that suits you best.

There’s a review by Vicky Frost on the Guardian website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/25/april-craft-review-books-shops?INTCMP=SRCH

The View from the Shard - and some alternatives

This week sees a new icon on the London skyline open its doors to the public for the first time. The View from the Shard - the visitor attraction at the tallest building in Western Europe – is, at 244 metres, twice the height of any other viewing platform in the capital and has 360’ views which can extend 40 miles or so on a clear day. You zoom up via two lifts to level 69, with its floor to ceiling windows, and if that's not high enough, there's an open air viewing platform on level 72. Keen photographers should note though that for safety reasons this is surrounded by glass walls and unless you have a tripod (or similar) to raise your camera above them, you will be shooting through the glass, Pre-booked tickets cost £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for children. To book, visit www.theviewfromtheshard.com

But the Shard’s not the only place for a view of London rooftops.
Up at the 02, on the Greenwich Peninsula, combines an outdoor challenge with a unique perspective. Visitors climb over the roof of the 02 (originally the Millennium Dome) via a tensile fabric walkway suspended 53 meters above ground level. An observation platform at the summit gives wide views of the city and its many landmarks, including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, The Shard, Greenwich and Canary Wharf. Tickets start at £22 for adults and children. To book, visit www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2

One of the capital's most popular tourist attractions is the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel just across the Thames from Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. It's 135 metres tall and has 32 sealed and air-conditioned cabins that revolve continuously, but so slowly you hardly know you’re moving. One ride lasts about half an hour. It’s been in operation since 2000. Online adult tickets start at £17.28. Details at http://www.londoneye.com/

The eyecatching red ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture, a feature of the Olympic Park during the 2012 Games, is 115 metres tall and has two viewing platforms at 76 and 80 metres high. It was created by artist Anish Kapoor who used 560 metres of tubular steel to form the twisted lattice superstructure. During the Olympics tickets were £15 and it was climbed by 130,000 visitors, including the Queen and Prince Philip. It re-opens in 2013 as part of the park’s redevelopment. For more information, visit www.arcelormittalorbit.com

A much cheaper (but still exciting) option is the Emirates Air Line cablecar. This opened in 2012 and runs across the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks on the north side. Each of the 34 cabins can hold 10 people, and accommodates wheelchairs and baby buggies. They run continuously, slowing right down at the terminals to allow passengers to board and alight, then swinging up and out over the river to reach a height of almost 100 metres. The operators, Transport for London, say up to 2,500 people an hour can be carried in each direction, though post-Olympics, it’s not running at anything like full capacity. Fares start at £3.20 for a single fare using an Oyster travel card/Freedom pass or £4.30 without. A ride lasts 5 – 10 mins. http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/

Finally, for a spectacular view of the London skyline which is absolutely free, take the glass lift to the roof terrace of One New Change, the shopping centre to the east of St Paul's Cathedral.

                                             Have fun!

A snowy wassail in north-west London

A warming moment on our snow-bound high street - dozens of people braving the freezing temperatures to take part in a wassail. This is an ancient custom held at the start of the year in orchards to bless the trees and make them fruitful, but storyteller Rachel Rose Reid (here addressing the crowd) has adapted it for the urban environment to show support for local businesses and bring neighbours together.

For the fourth year running, wassailers paraded along Willesden Green High Rd, stopping to wish independent shopkeepers all the best for the coming year with songs and poetry.

 The event ended at the Library Centre, wassailing the crab apple trees planted there four years ago but sadly now under threat from a proposed redevelopment opposed by many residents. This would see Brent council give the site to developers who would demolish the 1986 library and build more than 90 luxury flats there, in return constructing a smaller library at the very front of the site. (Brent has already closed 6 of its 12 libraries.) If this goes ahead, the small open area which serves as a town square and where the wassail and other events take place would also be lost.
See http://keepwillesdengreen.blogspot.co.uk/
www.rachelrosereid.com/

Keukenhof goes British

If you love tulips, a visit to the spring gardens of Holland’s Keukenhof should be in your diary for 2013. From March 21 to May 20, the 32 hectares will be showcasing the very best bulbs for the 63rd International Flower Festival. Every year Keukenhof chooses a different country as the central theme.

This year it’s the United Kingdom, and work is well in hand recreating the London skyline. It takes around two months for the thirty gardeners to plant around seven million flower bulbs, and the results are truly spectacular.

I've been to Keukenhof  a couple of times now - it's at Lisse just outside Amsterdam - and found one day is really not enough to  appreciate all that's there. 

As well as the outdoor displays, there are pavilions with orchids, anthuriums, bromeliads, and the world’s largest lily show. Plus lots of ideas for flower arranging and displays, alongside restaurants and shops selling bulbs and souvenirs. Inspirational!

Did you know the sultans of the Ottoman Empire wore a tulip on their turbans? The word tulip comes from the Persian word for turban, tulipan.

The Keukenhof Festival is not the only reason to visit Holland next year. Amsterdam is planning an exciting programme of attractions, including a  celebration of 400 years of the city's canals, the reopening of the Rijksmuseum, 40 years of the Van Gogh museum, the centenary of the Frans Hals museum and a major exhibition about Peter the Great.
More details
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/Experience/Amsterdam%202013
 www.keukenhof.nl

A 'Garden to Table' lesson for Camilla

An unusual engagement for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during her current visit to New Zealand with Prince Charles - she ended up donning an apron in the kitchen of East Tamaki primary school in south Auckland.  It was part of her introduction to the school’s 'Garden to Table' project, where pupils have a hands-on opportunity to learn about food. They grow fruit and vegetables in the school grounds, devise menus, then cook and serve what they’ve harvested.
Camilla watched the youngsters at work and was invited to try the feast of beetroot and fennel salad, vegetable bread cases and carrot cake laid out for her. She homed in on the carrot cake, which she said she loves, slicing it up and offering it round before trying some herself.  The school's principal said the pupils had been very excited about the duchess's visit.

The royal visit - and the carrot cake - featured on local TV news :http://www.3news.co.nz/Recipe-Carrot-cake-for-a-Duchess/tabid/367/articleID/276552/Default.aspx

In an amazing coincidence, last year I was actually at East Tamaki school myself, seeing what the project involved.

I found part of the school grounds transformed into a highly productive organic garden, along with a specially-adapted kitchen for the pupils to use. ‘Garden to Table’ is run by volunteers, working alongside one kitchen and one garden specialist. Students are split into two groups, taking turns to garden and cook, but all coming together to savour the fruits of their labours.

When I arrived, the morning session was just ending. The kitchen was bustling, as youngsters and volunteers cleaned and tidied after a delicious meal of potatoes mamoosa, with three different salads (above).

Outside, Jenny Villiger, Judy Newhook, garden specialist Karolyn Cooper and Robin Barclay (above, from left) were working on the compost heap. Nearby were beds of tomatoes, sweetcorn, spinach, courgettes, aubergines, peas, potatoes and pumpkins while just around the corner were strawberries, citrus fruit, a herb garden (below) and an orchard.

The emphasis is on growing from seed, often saved from the previous year. Seedlings are nurtured in a small greenhouse, and pupils encouraged to take surplus seeds to grow at home, thus involving the whole family. It certainly seemed to be working - surrounding gardens were overflowing with produce.

The initiative is based on the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Programme founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2001. When I was there it was being trialled in three Auckland schools, funded by donations and the Garden to Table Trust. The maths, science, reading and writing students were learning are all part of the compulsory curriculum, but a useful bonus comes from the social skills being developed, from how to lay a table to working as a team, alongside a knowledge of nutrition and appreciation of good food. The hope is that all this will stay with the youngsters for the rest of their lives, and be passed on to future generations.

www.gardentotable.org.nz/

The View from the Shard

I’ve had a sneak preview of what's set to become London’s “top” tourist attraction – the viewing gallery of the Shard, at just over 310 m the tallest building in western Europe. (Looking at this photo taken last month from Parliament Hill in north London I can hardly believe I have now been right up to the pinnacle.)

Although still a construction site, as you can see, the Shard dominates the capital's skyline, towering over London Bridge station on the south bank of the Thames, its 11,000 glass panels soaring up to reflect sky, clouds and sometimes sun.

When we arrived, workmen were fitting the flooring in the huge entrance hall, but round the corner, lifts were waiting to whisk us up to the 68th floor in a little over a minute. My ears had barely popped before we were in the gallery, looking out over the capital.

That's the moment it hits you:  the only other way to get such a view would be from the air.

The gallery itself is the height of three storeys, the floor to ceiling windows giving a stunning 360’ view. On a clear day you could see up to 40 miles across London. On a November afternoon the view was slightly more limited, but familiar landmarks were clearly visible – the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and Canary Wharf to the east (above), St Paul’s, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and the Wembley arch to the west, while snaking through the panorama like a ribbon, the Thames, its barges and river boats like miniature toys (below). 

A few decades back the BT Tower (189m) and Canary Wharf (235m) briefly provided high-level views of the capital before being closed to the public. Now you look down on them, and on the many cranes and construction projects dotting the city. Between them, the spires of Wren and Hawksmoor churches are still just visible. The Shard itself casts a long shadow over the City (below).

Digital telescopes provide closer views and have touch screens with multi-language information about landmarks. Visitors will also be able to climb stairs to level 72, the highest public point, open to the elements (not accessible during the preview.)
The Shard, designed by Renzo Piano and owned jointly by the State of Qatar and the Sellar Property Group. is described as the UK’s first vertical city. It will have shops, offices, restaurants, a 200-room hotel and on floors 53 – 65, ten multi-million pound residences. Cleaning the exterior is a full-time job, and not for the faint-hearted (left).

The viewing gallery opens to the public on Feb 1, 2013. A visit won’t be cheap – just under £25 if you book in advance, or almost £30 if you turn up on the day. Being so high up means it may occasionally be wreathed in clouds, but then visitors will be offered a return visit. Admission will also include a multi-media display about the history of London and the Shard itself. Booking has already opened, and it looks as if it will be THE place to be next Valentine’s Day.
www.the-shard.com

Where did all the apples go?



Totalling up the apple pick

In north London, we've finished our community fruit-picking for this year - harvesting neighbours' apples, pears and plums that would otherwise have been left to rot, and taking them to local charities. Our total was well down - less than half the 1000 kg we collected last year. It's been a similar story across the UK. The late frosts and wet summer played havoc with the crops, and much of the fruit that did ripen was devoured by hungry squirrels and birds. But it's a great scheme and the idea seems to be spreading. I've been following the progress of a network of pickers in NZ, who are doing exceptionally well. (Read about them at http://www.garden-nz.co.nz/latest-news/news/charities-enjoy-the-fruits-of-community-s-labour.html and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pickfruit )
We'll be out again in 2013 -  fingers crossed for better weather!