Photographs of London from Fotocommunity

We think this is definitely worth a visit: Photographers at Photocommunity share hundreds of great images of lovely London here.

Celebrate Sir Hans Sloane's 350th Birthday on April 16th

Available now here - more soon


"Welcome to Chelsea Physic Garden

Situated in the heart of London, this 'Secret Garden' is a centre of education, beauty and relaxation. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, it continues to research the properties, origins and conservation of over 5000 plant species.

Friends of the Garden have privileged access on weekdays throughout the year and on Sundays and Bank Holidays between April and October.
For the general public, our 2010 Opening times.

To celebrate the 350th Birthday of Sir Hans Sloane, the Garden will be not be charging admission fees on Friday 16th April 2010.
More details about Our Local Hero, Sloane."

Founded by Sir Hans Sloane - The British Museum

Ann Barr, The Woman Who Invented Sloanes

Image: Ann Barr and friend, from article "Ann Barr, The Woman Who Invented Sloanes".

Ann Barr did most of the work on the first Official Sloane Ranger books. Peter York (Peter Wallis, actually) did much less to comprehend and map the terrain. Ann is a Sloane, and Peter is not. One source reports that York has done no work on the new book leaving it to Olivia Stewart-Liberty.

The authorship of the Sloane Ranger Handbook is apparently a sore point with poor Peter York (Wallis).

"From Peaches Geldof to David Cameron, a fresh breed of Sloane is taking over the country. This work unveils them to an unsuspecting public. It includes breeds of a subtle and powerful social network: Chav Sloanes (who call friends 'Blud'), Turbo Sloanes (who live in NYLON), and Eco Sloanes (who have strong preferences for veg boxes and kaftans)...." the York/Liberty "Sloane" book is just wrong.

Some Sloanes have always functioned - and made fortunes - in an international environment; that's why so much of the map of the world became pink. Creative marketing claims to the contrary, values and traits of Sloanes have not changed.

The original books are unsurpassed, and Sloanes thank Ann Barr!



A short letter from Ann Barr to the editor of The Observer was a delightful surprise.

Sloanes are OK, ya?

Carole Cadwalladr's spiky article 'The rebirth of posh' (Review, last week) was very interesting, but two points. Peter York was not the author of the original Sloane Ranger's Handbook, 1982; it was a communal book by 60 Harpers & Queen contributors, woven together by me as features editor and deputy editor (and Sloane Ranger person). Peter York was the co-author, for his media skills.

My other concern is confusing the Sloane Ranger with the super-rich. Sloane Rangers are not necessarily well-off or aristocrats, but a stratum of a bygone middle class, at least one rung down from David Cameron and friends. They work behind the scenes to help the community, but do not expect to lead it - and don't all vote Tory.

Ann Barr
London W11
Link

Nicholas Coleridge was mentored by Ann Barr and remembers her here.

William and Kate to Name the Date?

Tina Brown, friend of Princess Diana and Royal insider, thinks so. Link

SAGA Magazine

"Vita Brevis - Ours Longer..."
Emma Soames is the brilliant editor behind SAGA Magazine - making aging cool and grey the new black.
Great fun! SAGA

The Lady: Joanna Lumley

The Lady Magazine presents a profile of the enchanting Joanna Lumley - a national treasure: From Purdey to Patsy

In this BBC video, Joanna Lumley travels to arctic Norway in search of the Northern Lights (or Aurora Borealis), a phenomenon which occurs due to solar winds interacting with the earth's magnetic field.

The Lady: Alice and Me

Hugh St Clair tells the real-life story of his greatgrandmother Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland
"My great-grandmother was Alice in Wonderland. When I tell people, they look rather bemused, but it’s true – Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic book, beloved by children and adults alike, was my great-grandmother. Indeed, that chance meeting that Carroll had in the quad at Christ Church College, Oxford with the Liddell children in 1856 has certainly benefited our family – my children were privately educated on money from the sale of ‘Alice’ memorabilia.
Since the book’s publication in 1865, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been translated into hundreds of languages and has never been out of print. There have also been countless adaptations in other media, especially theatre and film. The latest, directed by Tim Burton, starts with a young woman who, fearful of the imminent proposal of an eligible (but ridiculous) suitor, escapes into a fantasy world with the mysterious White Rabbit.
Alice was born in 1852, the fourth child of eight surviving children – five girls and three boys. Her father, Henry Liddell, was a distinguished academic, head of Westminster School, then Dean of Christ Church College, Oxford. When the family moved from Westminster to Oxford they got to know the Rev Charles Dodgson (Carroll’s real name) – a shy and stuttering mathematics don, more relaxed in the company of children than adults. An eccentric man, he had an amazing collection of mechanical toys in his rooms and loved dressing up in children’s fancy dress outfits. It was while he was out photographing Christ Church Cathedral that he came across the young Liddell children playing in the Deanery garden. He soon struck up a friendship with the family, becoming a fixture in their lives. He was particularly drawn to Alice...."
Continues at The Lady Magazine
To see a collection of images of ALICE past and present, visit the very smart blog of M.A. Peel or "Emma Peel"

National Trust: The Lyme Caxton Missal

"The Lyme Caxton Missal

Turn the pages of history at Lyme Park, with our interactive display which lets you view the pages of the Lyme Caxton Missal.

The Missal was printed by William Caxton, England's first printer, in the 15th century. It is a rare copy of an early printed prayer book, famed in its time of print for being one of the first books to be printed in two colours, red and black.

For a sneak-peek of the unique Missal, watch our short film and discover more about its captivating history."

Link

A fascinating combination of old and new...

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

~ William Wordsworth



May we all be blessed with peace and renewal this Easter Day.