Shoreham 2007
Shoreham Airshow 2007
Me looking brave before taking to the air (and the wing) of the plane. Wow, it was cold !! But the whole experience was totally exhilarating.
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Jan's Blog
Computers and the internet are amazing things. One of my concerns with putting together this site was that it could remain current, yet with all my travelling I've often much to say, but little time to say it. Years ago when reading the news it would take me days on end to reply to the kind letters people sent. Now, with the magic of the modern age, I can keep you up to date with what I'm doing and other events in my life.
PÈRE LACHAISE - Héloïse and Abèlard
Date: 13th May 2012
After our visit to St. Denis, I very much wanted to go back to Père Lachaise but the rain persisted and a visit was abandoned. Being an incurable romantic, it was the story of Héloïse and Abèlard which first took me to the cemetery of Pére Lachaise over two decades ago.... Read more...
BASILICA ST. DENIS
Date: 12th May 2012
BASILICA ST. DENIS Friday morning – and the heavens opened. Last December when I intended taking photos at Père Lachaise it poured with rain and once again the elements beat me. We had to fill in five hours and keep out of the rain so I suggested a visit to the Basilica St. Denis – the... Read more...
MONTMARTRE - Jean Jacques de Launay
Date: 12th May 2012
MONTMARTRE – J J de Launay If you’ve only got one evening in Paris, I think it is obligatory to go to Montmartre. Yes, it is touristy but it is also romantic, artistic and delightful. Ian Reed and I were staying on in Paris in order to take some still shots in Père Lachaise and... Read more...
RENÉ MOUCHOTTE - Presentation of BOB medals to his sister in Paris
Date: 10th May 2012
RENÉ MOUCHOTTE Just a recap of the story if you haven’t tuned in before or are not aware of my on-going researches into the René Mouchotte story. René was the first Free French pilot to become a Squadron Leader in the RAF. Among other duties he commanded the FF Squadron... Read more...
THE BRIDGE
Date: 24th April 2012
Yet another great 'Detective' series - a Swedish/Danish co-production. I've been totally gripped by all the ones I've watched recently. (Didn't see The Killing but a friend has the lot and is going to lend them to me - that should keep me quiet for a weekend). This current one... Read more...
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Date: 24th April 2012
I mentioned recently how I'm watching many old films, finding them better entertainment than so much on offer on Television main channels these days. I don't have Sky - although if I did there are some channels I know I'd enjoy - Discovery, History and National Geographic. It's is such a... Read more...
RICH by Melvyn Bragg
Date: 23rd April 2012
RICH by Melvyn Bragg Although I was given this weighty tome over 20 years ago, I’d never got around to reading it. Having made a recent visit to the Old Vic in London where I saw Richard Burton and John Neville in ‘Othello’ I decided to get the book down off the shelf, dust it off and read it.... Read more...
BECKET- by John Guy
Date: 23rd April 2012
BECKET – the film starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole is a most enjoyable and interesting film and keeps fairly closely to the historic detail apart from portraying Becket being as much a womaniser as Henry II. He certainly was not and from the latest book ‘Becket’ by John Guy it would... Read more...
DAVID NIVEN - Michael Parkinson Interview
Date: 23rd April 2012
I missed Parkinson's interviews first time round - possibly working or doing something but on Saturday (21st April) I watched an old interview with David Niven repeated on BBC 4 (a Channel I like very much). What a fantastic and entertaining raconteur was David Niven. I was laughing out loud at... Read more...
DOUWE EGBERT COFFEE
Date: 23rd April 2012
DOUWE EGBERT COFFEE I have used Douwe Egbert Ground Coffee for as long as I can remember – buying for cafetières and also filters as I have a lovely silver coffee pot which takes a filter bag. I’ve often had compliments on the coffee from dinner guests. And it is not the most expensive on the... Read more...
A STREET CAT NAMED BOB - by James Bowen
Date: 21st April 2012
A STREET CAT NAMED BOB – by James Bowen A friend alerted me to the This Morning interview about a young busker who’d befriended an injured stray marmalade tabby cat. Having watched it and been very impressed I then watched some of the clips on YouTube. Couldn’t wait to buy the book and had... Read more...
ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Date: 20th April 2012
ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL It is the second oldest Cathedral in England having been founded in 604 AD. The present building dates back to 1080 and the French Monk Gundulf. It has one of the finest Romanesque facades in England and became a place of pilgrimage after the murder of a Scottish baker, William of Perth... Read more...
ROCHESTER CASTLE
Date: 19th April 2012
ROCHESTER CASTLE Decided to pay a visit to Rochester Castle – really only a Keep – and the Cathedral. It was very interesting to compare the Rochester Keep with that at Dover. Dover Keep had a 2 million pound makeover a couple of years ago which brought it back to the relative splendour it... Read more...
BITS AND BOBS
Date: 18th April 2012
Apologies for the lack of Blogs but life has been rather quiet of late. A friend took me for lunch at Reads on the outskirts of Faversham. A delightful setting and interesting menu. We had a lovely lunch which I thought relatively good value when you consider what some up-market restaurants charge. There is a... Read more...
YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM - Yorkshire Post Supplement
Date: 24th March 2012
When visiting the Museum a couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed for the Yorkshire Post Saturday Supplement - partly because it is now the 30th Anniversary of the Falklands war and I was one of the Newsreaders at that time and partly because of my involvement with the Museum. As my son has posted a... Read more...
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Date: 23rd March 2012
WESTMINSTER ABBEY Why is it that so many of us are familiar with iconic landmarks elsewhere in the world and yet neglect to visit those ‘in our own back yard’. I’ve never really devoted time to a comprehensive visit to Westminster Abbey – the last time being eleven years ago when we... Read more...
BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL - Westminster, London.
Date: 22nd March 2012
BATTLE OF BRITAIN MEMORIAL – Westminster, London. Of course we have our iconic memorial down at Capel le Ferne plus the Sir Chrisopher Foxley Norris Memorial Wall, but for ages I have wanted to see the relatively new BOB Memorial in London. Some have commented that it was disappointingly small. Perhaps it... Read more...
YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM - IWM AWARD
Date: 21st March 2012
YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM – IWM AWARD The Imperial War Museum held their London Film Awards on Wednesday and guess what – the Yorkshire Air Museum walked off with the first prize. As a Vice President of the Museum I feel able to share in their pride. The entry in ‘Conflict Related... Read more...
BLOGS AND USAGE
Date: 11th March 2012
Do forgive me if I am 'teaching grandmother to suck eggs' but I do sometimes wonder if folk who visit this Website know how to go back and catch up with 'yesterday's news'. I only ask because even I had to ask my Website creator how I could go back in time to older Blogs. If you just... Read more...
YORK MINSTER - Memorial to the Groupes Lourds - French Bomber Squadrons in WW2
Date: 8th March 2012
YORK MINSTER – Memorial to the Groupes Lourds – Guyenne and Tunisie French Squadrons based at Elvington during WW2. As I had a long drive ahead of me, our visit to York Minster was brief. What an imposing edifice. Can’t wait to have time for a more comprehensive visit. York Minster is very... Read more...
YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM - Allied Air Forces Memorial
Date: 7th March 2012
YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM – Elvington. What a day! I can’t begin to tell you what fabulous Aircraft and exhibitions are all around you. The Director of the Museum, Ian Reed, guided me around the sites for best part of a day – there’s so much to see, feel and experience. They have a... Read more...
MIDDLETHORPE HALL
Date: 6th March 2012
MIDDLETHORPE HALL Having been elected a Vice President of the Yorkshire Air Museum (Allied Air Forces Memorial) it was encumbent upon me to familiarize myself with Elvington. Was looked after right royally (literally) and booked into Middlethorpe Hall – a National Trust Property – on the... Read more...
NOISES OFF
Date: 3rd March 2012
NOISES OFF Went to London on Saturday for a lunch with the Museum Director of the York Museum and Geneviève Moulard. Geneviève has written a superb book on the WAAF in two World Wars and Ian and I were able to help her in a very small way. Unfortunately it is only in French at present but we are... Read more...
THE ARTIST
Date: 1st March 2012
THE ARTIST Went to see The Artist the other night. What a delightfully innocent, charming and totally enjoyable film. But I was surprised to see it won so many Oscars. It just goes to show that you don’t have to have gratuitous violence, blood and guts, graunchy sex, and computer generated wonders to... Read more...
THOSE WHO KILL - ITV 3
Date: 24th February 2012
THOSE WHO KILL – ITV 3 What is it about these Swedish and Danish Programmes which makes them so good and gripping. In the past I avoided programmes with subtitles. These days I often use subtitles on British and American programmes because either the accents are too broad and/or the speech is garbled... Read more...
ELIZABETH TAYLOR - GINA FRATINI WEDDING DRESS
Date: 18th February 2012
ELIZABETH TAYLOR – GINA FRATINI WEDDING DRESS I enjoy reading Biographies and Autobiographies and recently began Melvyn Bragg’s Autobiog. of Richard Burton published many years ago. There are copious photos in the book and on perusing them I came across a b/w photo of Burton and Taylor’s... Read more...
AUSTRALIA DAY - TO THE FREEZING UK
Date: 11th February 2012
Back in the UK and wish I weren't. The jet lag was the worst I've ever experienced, I was missing my son and then woke to a white world last Sunday and my Goodness it has been cold. Nothing much to write about. However, I spent several hours uploading photos onto the Gallery so I... Read more...
AUSTRALIA DAY
Date: 26th January 2012
I don't remember us celebrating Australia Day when I lived in Sydney. Maybe I've forgotten or maybe in the intervening 40 odd years it has grown into a much bigger event. Jonathan had arranged to meet friends down near the Opera House for brunch. Because of the usual sun, most of the restaurants have... Read more...
COFF'S HARBOUR
Date: 25th January 2012
When I lived in Sydney in the 60's I met a girl - a very good make-up artist trained at the BBC. Funnily enough we both remember the party at which we met and also both remembered that our host - Roger Murray Leach had the bath filled with ice and on top were dozens and dozens of oysters! My friend came back to... Read more...
EL CIRCO - SYDNEY
Date: 20th January 2012
Last night Jonathan and I went to El Circo - it is an evening of Entertainment part Circus, part Cabaret and part Burlesque and a Degustation Menu taking place at Slide in Oxford Street, Sydney. It was a superb evening - can't say I have enjoyed anything so much in a long time. Having been to Le Moulin... Read more...
ODDS AND ENDS
Date: 20th January 2012
Once again I apologize that my blogs come out in one lump when I'm away from home and working on an Ipad - I'll correct this when I return, reluctantly, to the UK. Travel. Our trip up to the Rainforest was a flight there on Virgin Australia and return on Quantas - what a huge difference in comfort etc.... Read more...
HENRY LAFONT
Date: 20th January 2012
I had the lovely experience of being able to put two elements of a family back in touch. If you read my Blog regularly you'll know that in December I hired a cameraman and went to Paris to interview the sister of René Mouchotte and whilst in Paris received an invitation from the Director of the... Read more...
RAINFOREST TOUR
Date: 15th January 2012
Claire, a receptionist at Thala Beach, recommended that we take a trip with Daintree Safaris owned and run by Nicholas Fox. He is a one man band so that you actually get the Boss who is one of only 4 accredited Rainforest Guides. Other companies are accredited because of their facilities but Nicholas took a one... Read more...
PORT DOUGLAS - QUEEENSLAND
Date: 13th January 2012
Having been horrified at the cost of simply everything in Sydney - and not just because of the weak pound, Jonathan and I decided to go for broke and treat ourselves to 4 days up in Queensland. We had wanted to go to Ayers Rock - but its really too hot at this time of the year and we were told you get a... Read more...
SYDNEY - The Marble Bar
Date: 10th January 2012
What a wonderful find although by accident. When I lived in Sydney in the 60's I was an actress and worked in several lovely theatres among them the Ensemble, the Philip Theatre and the Palace Theatre in Pitt Street. Someone told us that the Palace had been torn down but that some of its iconic architecture had... Read more...
SYDNEY - HARBOUR TOUR
Date: 10th January 2012
Yesterday we went on a Hop On - Hop Off Sydney Harbour Tour. You pay your money and can get on and off the ferry at any one of numerous stops. To take full advantage of the ticket, you'd need to be on the water early in the morning but as my son has always liked his lie-ins (how many cold cups of tea have sat... Read more...
CHINESE GARDENS - SYDNEY
Date: 8th January 2012
I forgot to tell you about a really lovely experience on my first day in Sydney and that was a visit to the Chinese Gardens down at Darling Harbour. Created by the local Chinese Community to celebrate Australia's Bicentenary in 1988, the gardens are a result of the close friendship and cooperation between... Read more...
JACKIE LAWSON E-CARDS
Date: 8th January 2012
One cannot download an Ecard on an Ipad. Apparently the late Steve Jobs didn't approve of the stranglehold which Adobe had on the market so the Ipad doesn't offer the facility. So thank you to all the lovely people who sent me the Jackie Lawson Greetings for my Birthday but I won't be able to view them till... Read more...
NEW YEAR'S HONOURS LIST
Date: 8th January 2012
I have been awarded my own little honour! The Director of the Museum at Elvington near York - which has promoted the memory of the French Bomber Crews in WW2 among other valuable work - has asked me to be a Vice President of the Museum - an honour I'm thrilled to accept. Whoever would have thought that... Read more...
SYDNEY FESTIVAL
Date: 7th January 2012
Jonathan loves his music and was determined to enjoy the first day of the Sydney Festival. It was quite an experience with most of Hyde Park given over to the festivities and the roads blocked to traffic. Jonathan was very excited about a DJ from the UK - Norman Jay who apparently has an MBE for his services to... Read more...
A GREAT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Date: 5th January 2012
My son organized a really wonderful day for me. I was woken with Stevie Wonder singing 'Happy Birthday to you' and Jonathan with two massive bouquets of flowers - an enormous one from him and another from a friend who'd asked J to arrange it. We went out for Brunch in a local Café. Jonathan... Read more...
ANNIE - THE MUSICAL
Date: 4th January 2012
What a wonderful start to my Birthday Celebrations. A friend of Jonathan's asked if we would like to go to the Preview of 'Annie'. I'd seen it absolutely decades ago but, as I love theatre, was only too pleased to accept. We met up in a Cocktail Bar and had some amazing cockails at exorbitant prices... Read more...
Apologies for lack of blogs
Date: 1st January 2012
Have been so busy with work to do with Rene - information coming from all directions. Friends came from Paris for Christmas which was fabulous including the Carol concert at Cathedral. Met Archbish again. Now at Airport waiting to take off for Sydney to celebrate my birthday with my son. Thought I had all sorted... Read more...