Sarah Tucker goes in search of the ten tribes paying homage to a centenary of flower power at the 100th RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Yesterday I attended the press day for the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower Show. Gnomes have been allowed for the first time, but many of the celebrities who attend to admire the gardens and be admired in the gardens were little more than pint sized themselves. Most celebrities really are extremely short. Although the show runs all week, press day is best day to go.
The Steeple Times suggests five of the best deals to accompany the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
‘The Season’ is nearly upon us and we at The Steeple Times especially look forward to a number of events. Our favourite has to be Masterpiece (26th June to 3rd July) but we also love the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (21st to 25th May). Below, we suggest a few other ideas for readers visiting the show (more…)
The Steeple Times asks realtor and television personality Christophe Choo: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
That’s a great question. The first thing that comes to mind are the joys and wonderful things in my life: my family & friends and those who guide me in do what I do.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Proper everything and everyone now” and “do the right thing”.
When one thinks of treehouses, one generally imagines pretty rudimentary creations built out of old boards and bits of rope. Now, though, treehouses are becoming more and more extravagant. As individuals such as J. K. Rowling and the Duchess of Northumberland construct vast palaces in the trees in their gardens, The Steeple Times examines five of the best:
The Steeple Times asks musician and architectural historian Oliver Gerrish: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
My guiding force is optimism.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Wealth and fame”! Just joking, I think that “I’ll sing for my supper” would be a good one!
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?
Bad architecture.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
Singing in The London Oratory Schola, which I enjoyed so much. I also miss my grandfather, who died recently. He was a constant source of fun, support and love.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
I would swap all my wealth (maybe “paltry savings” would be a better phrase) for a chance to present a TV show exploring the history of architecture and music in Britain. It would be great if it became a great success and made me lots of money and educated people about the wonderful heritage we take so for granted.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
I don’t like to borrow money and I think it is utterly wrong for the banks to be supporting peoples’ misadventures with borrowing at the expense of other non-borrowing clients who can ill afford to bail out the former with their hard earned savings.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“Babe”.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I believe that by supporting smaller charities with far reaching ideals one can make a real difference. I run a charity music series called the Chelsea Concerts with soprano Alexandra Kennedy and we have now raised over £15,000 for various charities, including The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, SSAFA, The Rhinology and Laryngology Fund, The Rifles’ Care for Casualties and others. Each time, along with raising money for the charities, I have felt enlightened about these causes and educated about the extraordinary people and causes that are helped by these charities. I am also a Trustee of The Georgian Group and started The Young Georgians. We are the UK’s major architectural preservation charity. I was also recently involved with The Lady R Foundation and it’s fundraising for Veteran’s Aid.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
Never use a mobile phone or have it on at a concert. It’s always the people with the worst and loudest ring tones that leave them on.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Wowzers! Boris Johnson, Britney Spears, Rosamund Pike, the composer James MacMillan, my Grandmother Molly Lefebure, Henry Conway and my other closest friends, a pretty new girlfriend, The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Jenny Agutter, Lady Lucinda Lambton and The Queen.
If I could have a few spectral guests too they would be Edith Sitwell, Winston Churchill, Georgian architect Robert Adam, Grace Kelly, Sir John Vanbrugh, M. R. James, Cecil Beaton and The Queen Mother.
Oliver Gerrish. Photograph by Tom Gilks.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Smoked salmon and smoked mackerel pate with a very cold Diet Coke.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
A glass or two at lunch if with friends and then after 6pm otherwise.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
Negroni or a cup of tea, depending on the weather. I hate martinis.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Older friends because they love to mix the generations and one comes back feeling full of information and also the food and drink is mostly better.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My mother.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Burger King XL bacon double cheeseburger.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A well-proportioned Palladian house.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
Make? Probably an old VW Golf as mine works well, isn’t at all showy and gets me from A to B.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am a total country bumpkin at heart and like nothing more than being back in Derbyshire at The Barley Mow pub catching up with my friends there.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
A punk rocker shaped scrubbing brush, a model of The Queen who waves her hand when the sun touches her bag (so not very often), my flatmate’s invitations (mine are on the shelf opposite since we are very competitive!) and some photographs of our mad garden in Derbyshire.
Oliver Gerrish is an architectural historian, countertenor and founder of the Young Georgian Society.
Co-owner of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills with her husband R. J., Cohen is of surprisingly humble origins. She grew up on a chicken farm in Cleveland, Ohio but moved to LA with her divorced mother aged 13 when she opened a Kosher chicken killing plant on Santa Monica Boulevard. This hardworking lady now instead hosts the likes of Rod Stewart, John Tavolta, Quentin Tarrantino, Mel Gibson, Britney Spears and Ryan Seacrest. On an occasion Matthew McConaughey has even been known to park his Airstream on the front lot to barbeque steak for passersby.
Yesterday, I found myself listening to a self-proclaimed “writer, broadcaster and entertainer” named Pam Ayres on BBC Radio 4.
Pam Ayres
An example of her style numbers:
“I am sittin’ on the sofa. By the fire and stayin’ in. Me head is free of comfort. And me nose is free of skin. Me friends have run for cover, They have left me pale and sick. With me pockets full of tissues. And me nostrils full of Vick.”
I recall having first encountered the supposed “humour “of Ms Ayres, whom the Daily Telegraph once described as “the doyenne of doggerel,” at a dinner hosted by The Lady Taverners at The Savoy some years ago. As Ayres droned on, an American lady at my table tapped me on the shoulder and said: “What the hell is this strange woman on about?” Having never heard of this “poet,” I shrugged and simply responded: “I haven’t got a clue.” When, in desperation, it was suggested we vacate to the bar, I embraced the idea with gusto. Sat there with an extremely strong martini, I felt well again.
That, I assumed, would be the last my poor ears heard from Ayres but sadly it was not to be. Radio 4, which I listen to throughout the day, have chosen to give her airtime and yesterday, when she came on, the first comment from my friend Charles was: “Oh God, not her, she terrified me even when I was a kid.” The unwelcome ghostly voice of an evening past had returned to my life.
Having had my fill, I thought I’d share my thoughts with my Twitter followers and posted the following:
“I have to say @PamAyres is quite possibly the most tedious person on @BBCRadio4. Her attempt at “humour” is cringeworthy and annoying.”
Within minutes, I’d been bombarded with hatemail from furious fans of Ayres. Most curiously amongst them were missives from the former game show panelist Annabel Giles (@Annabel_Giles) and “Britain’s premiere [sic] Nazi hunter” Alan Stoob (@nazihunteralan). Plainly Ayres is “much loved” in all manner of circles.
Later, a poem came from the woman herself. It reads as follows:
This geezer Matthew Steeples (May he rot in K & C)
Has posted on his twitterfeed a photograph of me
And with my blameless heifers he has held us up to shame,
I may heal in time. The cows will NEVER be the same.
“Blummin’ ‘ell:” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Never could I have imagined that I’d find myself immortalised in a poem by Pam Ayres.
Learn more about Pam Ayres at: http://www.pamayres.com or follow her on Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/ayrespamShe might even pen a verse in your honour if you’re, erm, lucky.
This supposed “First Lady of Comedy” spouts lines like: “He had a bull name Floyd, but he was unemployed.” How long did it take her to come up with that? Her appearances on Radio 4 and elsewhere are peppered with references to “blummin’ people” and how she’s “stuck all [she] can stick.” Could someone please put her out to pasture before all our eardrums burst?
