Misery Bear's World Cup

Sweet and rather sad.
Link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00887k5

Thank you for Helping to Save the Barge Inn!

Thank you to all who helped to Save the Barge Inn!


An appeal for this community hub has been answered.
Link
The Barge Inn website
The Barge Inn Community Project

We'll visit The Barge Inn during the Crop Circle season.

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