Everything London

Today the Natural History Museum (NHM) exhibits the actual remains of a Mammoth, a baby Mammoth named Lyuba (pronounced Loo-ba, meaning Love). Perfectly preserved due to the bacteria surrounding her after she accidentally choked to death, she was found by herders in 2007. She's  been compared to the size of a 'large dog', and now hovers in a glass dark box in the middle of the NHM's new exhibition 'Mammoths, Ice Age Giants' . Emotive eyes As it's so well preserved scientists are still learning about it everyday; DNA samples have been removed and examined, what they know already is she died with some of her mothers milk still in her tummy. It doesn't get more personal than that, does it? I have to say as it's a rolling exhibit and Lyuba belongs to The Yamal-Nenents Regional Museum- Siberia, near where she was found; to see her in the 'flesh' as it were is truly a once in a lifetime thing. Personally I feel it is pretty impress...

This week is the RHS Chelsea Flower show , world reknown and highly prestigious, I got to talk to one of the new comers Matthew Childs , who did a garden for Brewin Dolphin - an investment managing firm. He's just won the Silver Gilt and had a visit too from Benedict Cumberbatch! The Silver Gilt award winning Garden of Possibility Matthew Childs Matthew has already won awards on RHS Hampton and is quite a distinguished horticulturalist, but his story is unique in that he started his career in Advertising.  Life changing events befell him in the attacks on London on 7/7 and he reassessed his life and decided to develop his horticultural dreams, and it clearly seems to be the path he was destined for.   Childs was challenged to express Brewin Dolphin’s values through the design of the garden and so is designed around the theme of nurturing and preserving wealth.  Of his design he says; “The most effective gardens tell a story. Life is a roller ...

Houses of Parliament at Sunset Apologies for not posting for a while, things got hectic, went to California for a wee while popped back and then the sun came out! Hip, hip hooray. London in the sun is the most wonderful place to be, honestly. I've lived many other places, and even though this is my hometown, it's still full of vibrancy and a sense of fun when it's sunny and warm. Except if you're on the tube maybe ;) Still,  here's my top tips at enjoying the parks now that the tree pollen is going down, stock up on your hayfever tablets and get out to enjoy, if only for lunch time. GOLDERS HILL PARK- N London It may surprise you that there are Lemur's in Golders Hill Park, they cost nothing to go see, and their faces are full of exactly the character depicted from a Disney movie, seriously, they are as curious about you as you are about them, so after a tough day at work, do head to them to remind yourself how big the world is, and how mu...

You might be in love, you might not. Your partner might be away, or not botherd. The Book of Love You might not be bothered. You might not wanna spend on all that hyped up Valentines, You might have been dumped recently or found a new love, either way London is supposed to be for lovers. Despite that, there's also a lot of people who are single, and so this post is for both groups, if you dont just wanna do a M&S dinner and stay in bed.. I know I would... Here are some fun and not so usual things to do this Valentines; An evening journey to Africa and back in London for Valentine’s Day! For lovebirds with a passion for nature or science, the Natural History Museum is offering a unique  Valentine’s Day celebration with a special version of its regular Night Safari with MasterCard event. Once the museum doors have closed for the day, couples can unwind over a drink in the iconic Central Hall underneath the famous Diplodocus skeleton before taking part i...

 This is what the Christmas Shoppers look like.. and January Sales are not much better... CROWDS of shoppers So instead of shopping go on a  Chocolate walking tour , I did this a weekend in December with a friend run by 'unreal city audio'. Its full of entertainment and actors in costume add variety and performance, mostly based on the history of the back streets of Piccadilly.  Expect to be taken down little alleyways and huge squares, while being entralled by the music and  the energy of this group, trust me, it's fun, and even though it's loosely based on Chocolate, you get a little cuppa of the hot stuff part way through included in the tour. havent seen a triangle since school! It details olde London life, and the main tour guide Matthew would know while he talks to you with a spoon and a musical Triangle in his hand, because he's done a PhD at Oxford and teaches on the subject, just not keen to work in academia- and who can blame ...

Covent Garden, Candy Canes Christmas time in London is like no other, the lights, the decor, the vibe. No matter what mood your in, what age you are, what religion your are, whether you believe in Santa or not, the way everything is decorated is sure to lift your spirits and get you all festive. Check out the massive -fake- grass hedge sculptures of candy canes and deer in the This is just a massive Rudolph, look how far you have to stand to get a shot Covent Garden area, enjoy the massive tree, and nightly carol singing whilst sipping on a moderately priced tiny cuppa of mulled wine. Enjoy the whole outdoor ambience of Christmas Markets in this area, as well as free street performers in all areas of the square. Or head down to Oxford Street to get your gifts in the high street stores, all are decorated amazingly. AS a child my family and I used to wait to all the shops had closed- drive down and park up- usually about 6pm back in those days (now it's more ...

Terrorism, regimes and rebel fighters and war make torture stories in this day and age mainstream media news. But the truth is of course people have been tortured and persecuted for their beliefs for centuries. One organisation FREEDOM FROM TORTURE refuses to deny the problem and instead help those affected held an Art Auction this month, curated by Christies. Right- Malin by Johan Anderson. Center-Untitled (JUG) Bruce Williams.Left- The second Letter- Robert Mason.  Edmund de Waal, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Michael Craig-Martin, Antony Gormley, Julian Opie, Cornelia Parker, Paula Rego and Lisa Ruyter donated pieces for auction to support Freedom from Torture’s work with survivors of torture who have fled tyrannical regimes around the world. Mayfair's Alan Cristea Gallery the largest publisher of contemporary editions and prints, also donated works by Sir Peter Blake, David Hockney and John Hoyland to be auctioned. The auction was silent and a bid...