Emergency! Hat needed!

An intriguing party invite arrives, but with the stipulation that guests must wear a home-made hat.

That was the situation two customers in John Lewis in London’s Oxford St were struggling with last weekend. One was thinking of somehow attaching a mini-Eiffel tower to her head (she was French), the other was at a loss until she found that milliner Mary Jane Baxter was in the haberdashery department, showing how to make an emergency hat from a cereal box, scraps of material and some trimmings. These crafty creations had shoppers queuing to try them on and many went away, inspired, with a signed copy of her book, Chic on a Shoestring. (This has instructions for the hat, a feather fascinator, and many more imaginative accessory ideas.)
Their verdict? A lovely present, and great for an inexpensive wardrobe revamp even if there's no party invite on the mantlepiece.
Chic on a Shoestring by Mary Jane Baxter, Publisher Kyle Books, £14.99 (but currently cheaper on Amazon. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1856269817/ref=asc_df_18562698175679794?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=hydra0b-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=1856269817 )

Standing room only at the world’s oldest Grand Music Hall

Forget the X Factor. THE show to watch on Sunday evening was at Wilton’s Music Hall in east London, not far from Tower Hill. A capacity crowd cheered, booed and sang along as members of the Players’ Theatre recreated the atmosphere of a Victorian night out, with all the hits of yesteryear.

The show was a fundraising gala – although a Trust has saved the building from the threat of demolition, it still needs more restoration work.

The theatre, with barley sugar twist columns and ornate plasterwork, dates from 1858, and in its heyday attracted stars like Champagne Charlie and Arthur Lloyd. (Some say Britain’s first Can-Can was seen there.) But times changed, and by the time the Trust took over, it had gone from housing a Methodist Mission and a rag warehouse to standing empty and abandoned.

Now, however, the theatre is thriving again, with shows which range from comedy and magic to classical concerts, opera and jive. (See details at http://www.wiltons.org.uk/listings.html ) It still shows its age, but the exposed brickwork and crumbling plaster are all part of its charm. Good acoustics mean performers can be heard without microphones, and the intimate size fosters a real feeling of community and warmth – something more important than ever in these straitened times. It’s not often you can find a show that will appeal to all ages as last Sunday’s one did. And as we all joined in on “Daisy, Daisy” and “When You’re Smiling” I couldn’t help wondering who would remember Amelia Lily and “I’m With You” in 150 years’ time.

Wilton's Music Hall: Graces Alley, London E1 8JB
020 7702 9555  http://www.wiltons.org.uk/

The Players’ Theatre Club stages shows at various venues around London: http://www.playerstheatre.co.uk/

There are guided tours of Wilton's on Monday evenings: http://www.wiltons.org.uk/booknow.php?event=guided-tours
(I've just watched the 2002 film version of Nicholas Nickleby and realised that Wilton's features as the Crummles' theatre in Liverpool - those columns are unmistakable. It's also in another 2002 film, The Importance of Being Earnest, with Colin Firth and Rupert Everett.)

The ultimate recyclable Christmas tree?

There won’t be any fallen pine needles to sweep up at St Pancras railway station in London this year - the Christmas tree on the main concourse is made entirely of 600,000 Lego bricks. It’s ten metres high and took two months to build. 

Even the decorations are made out of Lego.

The company says it’s the tallest tree ever made with its bricks.

There are no details yet of what will happen to them come January 6 when the tree is dismantled, but maybe we'll see another one next year.

Christmas Traditions

Stir Up Sunday, the traditional day to make Christmas puddings, falls this year on November 20. 
I can remember, as a child, clamouring for a turn at stirring the mixture - and a lick of the spoon. The highlights were making a wish and watching the silver coin go in. (I still treasure a sixpence from one my Grandmother made.)
Today, with time so precious, the pudding, mince pies and often even our Christmas cake are bought ready-made, with no hidden bounty. They probably taste just as good, but a little of the pre-Christmas magic has vanished.
Some countries, though, still hold proudly to their traditions.
Lucia di Domenico, a chef from Puglia, in the heel of Italy, was in London this week for some cookery demonstrations.

She’s passionate about the quality and variety of her region’s cuisine, and brought with her a selection of 12 different sweets which she and her neighbours would prepare on Christmas Eve (left).

These ranged from a rich chocolate cake to my favourite, calzoncelli (below), said to resemble the cheeks of the infant Christ. There are many local recipes for these little deep-fried treats, but Lucia, who has a restaurant in Orsara, prefers one which includes chickpea puree, cinnamon and orange peel.

 
 

Lucia’s demonstrations encompassed several regional specialities, complemented with local wines. Determined the dishes would be authentic, she had packed all the ingredients needed in her luggage. There were even bags of the black flour, Grano Arso, to make the dark pasta found in southern Italy, Cavatelli. It struck me how difficult it could have been, explaining what they all were to UK Customs, but luckily she and her bags had no problems.
http://www.pugliaatitsbest.com/
Lucia's Orsara restaurant: Posta Guevara http://www.postaguevara.com/
The demonstrations were part of a Puglia promotion organised by Antonio Tomassini http://www.winefoodpromotions.com/

The World comes to London

“Are you going to Ethiopia?”
 “No, Turkey, then a quick look at China.”

There were some surreal conversations floating round this week at World Travel Market in Docklands, where thousands of travel professionals rubbed shoulders with government ministers and journalists.

Despite – or perhaps because of – the recession, attendance was up by 5% overall, and exhibitors were working hard to get their messages across. Exotic national costumes were everywhere; a Turkish hotel group, Lykia, even hosted a belly-dancing masterclass (left) as a taster of what's on offer to guests at their Antalya establishment. Amongst all the razzamatazz, one small stand representing Libya caught my eye. The company, Arkno Tours, is hoping to run trips there come the spring.

Encouragingly,  many more companies seem to be embracing sustainable tourism – and not just with hotel messages such as: ‘Water is precious. Do you need your towels replaced every day?’

The need for this was brought home by the Travel Foundation's massive copy of Rodin’s sculpture, The Thinker (left). Artist Dan Broadley created this using 1.100 plastic water bottles – the number the Ascos Coral Beach Hotel in Paphos was handing out to guests every day during the summer season. Cyprus doesn’t have the infrastructure to recycle large amounts of plastic, and landfill sites are filling up. The hotel decided to offer visitors carafes and reuseable cups instead, and more than 20 other local hotels are now doing the same. A small change with a big impact.


And tourism’s next ‘hot destinations’? Despite some local problems, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Argentina are all being tipped. For British tourists though, travel journalist Simon Calder might be nearer the mark with his suggestion that the popularity of Croatia and Spain will continue.

The best view of London? (And it's free!)

 This is the London skyline from the roof terrace of the recently-opened shopping complex at One New Change, just east of St Paul’s cathedral. (Click to enlarge.) A glass lift whisks you to the 6th floor, and suddenly there's this amazing panorama which takes in many of the capital’s landmarks - from the Shard at London Bridge (left), to Tate Modern (centre), the London Eye and Houses of Parliament (behind the spire), the dome of St Paul’s and the back of the gold-leafed statue of Justice on the top of the Old Bailey (far right and below).

The cathedral is so close it feels almost within touching distance, and  you can glimpse many details not easily visible from the ground, such the apostles in this group on the south facade.

One New Change was conceived by French architect Jean Nouvel, and has walkways that follow the medieval street pattern while at the same time framing the cathedral. It replaces a 1950s building that housed the Bank of England’s accounts department. A circular mosaic and a row of sculptures by Charles Wheeler were saved during demolition, and are at the far end of the terrace.
If you have time to linger and perhaps catch a sunset, there are places to sit, as well as a restaurant and a café.
The roof terrace is still largely unpublicised, so shouldn't be crowded. And even better, admission is free. So next time you’re in London, put One New Change on your must-see list.

http://www.onenewchange.com/
One New Change EC4M 9AF

What would Van Gogh have thought?

A few weeks ago I was in Auvers-sur-Oise, the village just north of Paris where Van Gogh spent his last 70 days.

The stone cottages and their gardens are still much as he painted them, but the little lanes are now brightened by masses of flowers along the verges. This planting intrigued me - too co-ordinated to be self-sown, but not regimented like a municipal scheme. How had they got there? Who was looking after them?

The answer was on a nearby poster. They’re part of a project, “Je Jardine Ma Ville” where, in return for free plants and compost, residents create and maintain flower beds in public spaces outside their homes. Some 160 volunteers of all ages have put in around 10,000 plants, many of which are pictured on the poster for easy identification. Apart from the occasional sunflower so loved by Van Gogh, most are perennials so should bring colour to Auvers for many years to come.

Back in London, I checked the progress of a similar, if smaller, scheme beautifying the bare soil round street trees in Willesden Green’s Blenheim Gardens. Last spring a handful of volunteers put in hundreds of flowering plants, and many residents ‘adopted’ the tree pits outside their homes and even donated seedlings from their own gardens. Now they're planting 2,500 bulbs (see left), from snowdrops and jonquils to bluebells and tulips. Spring should see an explosion of colour.

For more on Van Gogh in Auvers, see http://aboutmygeneration.com/2011/10/21/auvers-sur-oise-van-goghs-final-resting-place/