Spring has been so early this year that, even though we’re hardly past the middle of April, the cherry blossom season is almost over. So what are your chances of catching the last of the blossom before it all vanishes? Good, if you act quickly and know where to go – which I’m about to tell you. Continue reading
Hanami has reached us from Japan where pretty much the whole country turns out to picnic under the cherry blossom that marks the start of spring. Hanami (which literally means blossom viewing) is a perfect way to enjoy the good weather were having this year (2017), and for Easter weekend Kensington Gardens offers a perfect hanami spot. Continue reading
Last year I photographed the spectacular Greenwich Park cherry blossom avenue in full flower in the first week of May. This year spring has come so early that it’s in flower in the first week of April, a full four weeks ahead of expectations – as you can see from these photos, taken on April 10th. Continue reading
With the early spring and the continuing dry sunny weather, Regent’s Park is currently a great place to see cherry blossom. There are some wonderful trees to be seen in full flower while others will realise their potential over the next week or two. So here’s my report on the current state of play. Continue reading
It’s still only the end of March, yet spring has come so early the cherry blossom is already in flower. I’ve been down to Kew Gardens to check it out and it’s good news all round – plenty of trees in full flower and plenty still in bud with blossom still to come. It’s turning into a vintage year! Continue reading
An early spring with lots of sunshine can only mean one thing – the cherry blossom is out! It’s not even the end of March and the blossom is in full flower all over town. That means London’s in bloom a good two or three weeks ahead of last year. Continue reading
Do Ho Suh’s exhibition, Passages, at the Victoria Miro gallery focuses on the spaces we easily overlook; the spaces between spaces, the corridors, hallways and lobbies that link the significant places in our lives. He gets us to see them afresh in a novel way – by presenting them as sheer gauze walls in zinging colours. Continue reading
Every year Kew Gardens cheers up the cold February days with a sumptuous display of orchids in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. I never miss it – it’s such a great contrast to the grey days at the fag end of winter, as the steamy warmth surrounds you and the riot of colour awakens your senses ready for another year. Continue reading
Happy New Year! It’s 2017 and you need something to do on Bank Holiday Monday, so here’s a suggestion for you. A walk in Regent’s Park taking in the Frieze Sculpture Park in the English Garden. There are seventeen sculptures by some top names so you’re bound to find one that you like. Continue reading
Cats – that’s a good start. Elegant elongated cats and a spiral staircase to boot – even better. Heal’s in Tottenham Court Road know this. They’ve had a cat guarding their Cecil Brewer staircase since 1916, a slim elegant feline perched on a window ledge surveying all that passes. Now, to celebrate the staircase’s centenary, they’ve commissioned ten designers to decorate replicas of their cat, and the results couldn’t be more different. Continue reading
