11 books that have seen us through summer
Some friends I’ve spoken to have said they’ve found reading books quite difficult throughout the pandemic. And I get it.
Books, films, exhibitions
Must-see exhibition: Charlotte Perriand at the Design Museum
At last we have a chance to see a major retrospective of the work of the interior architect and furniture designer Charlotte Perriand (1903 to 1999). A Parisian of modest background she joined the Ate...
What Oprah’s new book taught me about anxiety and trauma
I recently went through a family health scare, my mother has cancer and was taken into hospital. I don’t normally suffer from anxiety, but I found myself having panic attacks on the way to an...
Landscape artist Sarah Bee shows that age is no barrier to learning new skills
After the intensity of the Euro 2020 Championships, I think we all need something calming to focus on this week… Sarah Bee and I met many years ago when she worked as a make-up artist and...
Tablescaping: How to set your table this summer
Dust off your fancy plates and polish your silverware, dining parties are once again on the horizon! So, it is no coincidence that a trend for elaborate table setting – think candelabras, crystal an...
Feast your eyes on these beautiful blooms
It should have been RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week, but due to the pandemic the highlight of the horticultural calendar has been postponed until September. Ne’er mind.
Hooray! Museums and galleries are open again. Here’s what to see…
The pandemic has turned into a ‘plandemic’ now we have to book everything online. Good news though, from today, many of Britain’s major museums and art galleries are re-opening to...
Quote of the day: Nomadland director Chloé Zhao
Receiving her Bafta award for best director on Zoom, earlier this month, Chloé Zhao thanked the community who had welcomed her into their lives to film Nomadland: ‘ Thank you for showing...
Don’t miss Worn Stories: a show about clothes and the people who wear them
Emily Spivack’s Worn Stories sits on the bookshelves in my office. As someone who spends a considerable amount of time reading, writing and pondering over clothes, identity and why we wear what ...
That’s Not My Age podcast: Portrait Artist of the Year Curtis Holder
Imagine my surprise when I switched over to Sky Art’s Portrait Artist of the Year (2020) and there was friend-of-a-friend, Curtis Holder. With only one male guest so far on the That’...
Art will release us
For the first time during this interminable lockdown, the desire to simply board a train or plane, just go somewhere, anywhere different, felt overwhelming. I daydreamed of walking through unfa...
Why everyday should be World Book Day
I confess, I’m a hopeless bibliophile. From precious childhood books including my well-worn Roald Dahls, to an extensive collection of kitchen based cookery books, referred to on a daily basi...
