Everything London

I know it seems cliché.  We have Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day etc, a way to make money, a corporate, marketing gimmick to make us feel like we should do something for those who are significant in our lives, and guilty if we don't regardless of what the personal situation is. Call me cynical. Many avoid. But it seems to me World Earth Day on 22nd April , is a good and necessary day when we can love and appreciate our planet, and as a globe we still muster through the Coronavirus pandemic, we must love and appreciate our planet more than ever, today and every day. Call me a dreamer. When I was in NYC they lit up their iconic buildings in green, and turned off all unnecessary lights, which was a good reminder as we were all out and about. However, this year the pandemic might mean you're still in lockdown, not able to travel far, or just not sure how to celebrate the day. Well I've a small suggestion, and its free and its green, literally, and it re

We're facing the third lockdown, and I don't know about you but after books and reading, I've probably watched as much TV, Netflix and Prime as I can take. Then scrolling through Twitter last month- a habit I have incurred during the pandemic - I saw The Kiln theatre offering tickets to see " The Invisible Hand" a live-streamed, rehearsed reading. Written by a Pulitzer Prize winner Ayhad Aktar, it consists simply of four male characters. A kidnapped American broker set in Pakistan, and three of his captors. As you'd expect there are power dynamics, yet there are nuances within it which reveal so much more. The banking / financing system, the disaffection of UK born Pakistanis. A particular line struck me hard - the young very angry captor shouts at his prey, offloading experiences of why he was made to feel different and unable to be accepted into Hounslow- the part of London where he grew up - right by the airport, and that they- white English "made hi