Elements of the Cold War

I was listening to a programme on Radio 4 earlier this evening about the role

of the BBC during the cold war. We were told that there was a plan in place to evacuate a core of staff to a secure bunker where they would continue (all 450 of them in 3 shifts of 150 people) to broadcast to the surviving population. Part of the instructions issued to the civil populace was to take a battery powered transistor radio into the space under the stairs where they were to hide once war began. The BBC also supplied the camera link between 10 Downing Street and the nuclear submarine to prove that it was Harold Wilson and the designated naval officer giving the order to launch the nuclear missiles and not some madman Dr Strangelove figure who had burst into the Cabinet Room. All this reminded me that my uncle, a village policeman in Hertfordshire at this time had installed in his office, a bizarre piece of equipment that emitted a continuous bleep. He was under instructions to open an envelope containing instructions should the tone of the bleep change. From time to time announcements came from this loudspeaker to check the equipment was in order. What one person in a tiny village could do should the warning be sounded I dread to think. What were the chances that my uncle wouldn't be out catching criminals or sleeping at the momentous time when the third world war began? Of course it didn't happen......

Dangerous Dogs

A 78 year old rottweiller owner was severely savaged by his own dog, and has died of his injuries. Details of what happened are difficult to come by. Local residents in a quiet part of East London rushed to the man's aid as he was walking his dog, the animal suddenly turning upon his owner. Police were called and the dog was only finally persuaded to release his grip when the officers used fire extinguishers to spray over the furious beast. Despite being rushed to the Royal London Hospital the man died, the dog has been put down.

Results of the Big Garden Birdwatch

As usual I didn't see the usual variety of birds in my garden this weekend - were they lured away by fellow recorders of garden birds?
Anyway - I saw 1 blackbird; 2 Blue Tits; 1 Coal Tit; 3 Great Tits; 2 Robins and 2 Wood pigeons.
Why not let me know your results?

The Big Garden Birdwatch

I hope all of you will join in this year's Big Garden Birdwatch. Please log on at http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/ to download the recording sheet and then submit your results. I'll post the list of my viewings - as seen in my garden tomorrow morning.

Ken takes a lead

With just over three months to go to the Mayor of London election a recent ITV/You Gov Poll has given Ken Livingstone a 4 point lead. This may come as a great surprise to many outside London but those of us who live in London have come to love this strange and slightly eccentric man. I personally embrace the congestion charge, I'm very impressed by the dramatic improvements to public transport - although
perhaps the buses are victims of the incredible success - usage has so dramatically increased that most are now overcrowded. They are so cheap - and the introduction of the Oyster Card
makes it so easy to travel by bus and train. I also applaud Ken's campaign to bring the Olympics

to London in 2012 - it is already transforming East London, and inspiring the young people living here. As a colleague of mine remarked 'Ken stands up for London, I'll vote Conservative in any other election - but Ken will get my vote'. God help us all if Boris gets elected - all the improvements will be thrown away.

The Age of Enchantment

An exhibition of artwork, mainly book illustrations from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. I'll start by commenting on the Gallery itself - a private gallery of pictures - and remarkable for the quality. There is a nice, small bookshop and a very expensive 'cafe' that is staffed by people with attitude.
The exhibition of works by Beardsley, Rackham, Clarke, my favourite Dulac (his illustration shown above) and others shows a common theme of works used for children's stories, fairy tales, and later theatrical events. Many of the illustrations contain elaborate and fantastical figures and creatures (as required of the likes of 1001 Arabian Nights Tales). The size of the works varies considerably, and fortunately there is a free, and extremely comprehensive catalogue to guide you through the exhibits, because as is often the case the notes and descriptions attached to each object are generally badly sited and difficult to read without stooping.
There are so many delightful things to look at - demonstrating the exuberance of the times, but inevitably the illustrations become darker with the onset of World War I. The artistry is magificent, intricate and impressive in many of the works of art - especially the smaller ones, worthy of admiration in my view.
All in all worth making the journey into South London. Rating: 7/10

OneWord Radio

What a pity that OneWord Radio closed down last weekend. This radio station was a wonderful collection of book readings and interviews with authors. Is there another UK station to provide that kind of service? I'm pleased that BBC Radio 7 is doing more lengthy dramas though.

Tutankhamun Exhibition

Now although it didn't include the famous golden death mask (too delicate to be removed from Cairo) this was a remarkable exhibition - concentrating on the period of Egyptian history around and leading up to the reign of the 'boy king' who ruled the united kingdom for 10 years before his unexpected death at the age of nineteen. Like many of these exhibitions it was the small, if not tiny items rather than the huge mummy cases. What was remarkable after 3000 years was the amazing decoration of pots, model boats, figurines, statuettes and delicate artefacts. The setting is tremendous - at the 02 arena.

Hillary pulls off a surprise

So a night of surprises in New Hampshire. Everyone had written off Hillary Clinton in her race to become the Democrat Candidate in this year's US presidential elections, but maybe the huge increase in voters, especially independent electors pushed her ahead of previous frontrunner Barack Obanna. Probably a good thing for Senator Obama to get a less easy run, but on the other hand there is a tremendous 'ANYONE BUT HILLARY' feeling in America and this may mean Republican John McCain (if he gets to be their candidate) might stand a chance of winning. It is an interesting contrast of candidates though to select from - youth, female, older, experienced, black (?) and the traditional Washington/not Washington conflict. Still a long way to go though.

The First Emperor Exhibition

What a terrific exhibition - no wonder people are queuing in the early hours for 'on the day' entries. I was fortunate to go with a life friend of the British Museum, so tickets were well timed. This exhibition is always packed out with people - and I'd been warned about overcrowding. We were so lucky to be there at a 'quieter' time and were able to drift though and linger, and read the information fairly well. Of course the warriors are the stars, so delicate and yet sturdy, each individually crafted, but still uniform. However, it is the tiny details that are more fascinating - the arrowheads, the spears, the tiny indentations on the bottom of the boots worn by the archers - and the expressions on the horses faces. Lovely. The chariot pictured above is just beautiful. There are some beautifully sculptured metal birds and animals to be admired. This emperor ruled and unified China at a time when Britain was certainly fairly uncivilised in comparison - well before the arrival of the Romans. Something to think about - this Emperor introduced bureaucracy and legalism in opposition to the ideas of Confucius. Under the First Emperor the law was supreme, and there were punishments for infringement - no one was exempt or above the law. The alternative was, Confucius believed, good example imposing conformity. A good ruler would produce good subjects. Mmmmm

Present Laughter

I saw this Noel Coward play at the National Theatre, and as you would expect from this company the acting was superb. I'm guessing that any Noel Coward play is tricky to perform but this piece is much wordier than most of Noel's works. The central character - Gary is on stage for virtually the whole play, and outstanding he certainly was. I hadn't seen 'Present Laughter' before, and I must admit I had it confused with another play, and this distracted me for the first half hour or so. Coward is very good on human emotions, and teeters on the boundary between insightfulness and downright cattiness. The comedy in 'Present Laughter' can only be described as brittle, although in the final act it turns into fairly standard French farce. The plot is probably fairly irrelevant. Gary is a just turned 40 star of stage and film and the devotion of his doting fans and friends is in turn flattering and annoying. In the days before a tour of Africa he has a succession of girls throwing themselves at him, and he needs the protection and advice of his staff (a wonderful secretary, valet and housekeeper) and his separated wife, to prevent him from letting his life go rapidly downhill into total decadency. Coward is so clever with his script and he does allow some truths to seep through the lightness of touch. I'm glad Mr Coward has come back into favour, and hope more of his plays will appear in the West End. Rating 8/10

Welcome to 2008

I hope 2008 is a great year for you all