Finding music on the Tube

This evening, in a foul mood, having just stepped out of a shivery drizzle and into the Tube, I heard something of a rarity: live violin music. I love the musicians who perform in the official spaces in the official busking spaces of Underground stations. But here was a man on a train, travelling along the line, making beautiful music as we journeyed home. He was obviously homeless or at least had fallen on hard...

The best holiday ice skating in London

Over the past several years my family and I have criss-crossed the city trying out different ice skating rinks. I’ve loved it since childhood, when I would force my mother to drive from 2 1/2 hours to the nearest ice rink so I could pretend I was an ice princess. (I have a great picture of me trying to do an arabesque on ice — the minute my mother hit the shutter, I hit a chink in the ice and she...

Jumping on the giant inflatable Stonehenge

I thought the coolest thing that Jeremy Deller has done was his documentary about Depeche Mode fanatics, “Our Hobby Is Depeche Mode“. That was until we visited Sacrilege, his inflatable Stonehenge. This is surely the only giant bouncy prehistoric World Heritage site in the world. It’s travelling around England and, looking for something more inspiring than another day at the local park, I sent my...

Brixton Village Market for families

  Our quest for the best burger took us today to Brixton Village Market, to try Honest Burgers. It’s drawn raves from The Observer’s Jay Raynor, Metro and TimeOut, among many others. In the olden days, before children, this is the kind of place I would have strategised to visit with my friend R. before the first magazine or newspaper write-up. These days, we’re lucky to get someplace while it...

Gwithian: A great place to surf in Cornwall

I’ve always thought there was something sweet and a little deluded about British surfers. Sure, this is an island and there are loads of nice beaches. But when it comes to waves, it’s not as if we have the big surf of Hawaii or the iconic breaks of Australia. And yet, surf aficionados like me can find some very nice beaches for learning. I’ve tried several spots with varying success, but I’ve...

Review: Holidaying in an Airstream on Isle of Wight

Destination: Vintage Vacations, near Ryde, Isle of Wight, 07802 758113 Great for: holidaying with other families, having a chill-out getaway Pack: Football, cricket sets, badminton sets, croquet sets, and the novel you’ve been meaning to read Don’t forget: Your wellies, just in case The one problem with writing about travel: you find someplace really cool you want to tell the world about…and then...