As we emerge from the latest (and, we hope, the last) lockdown, two classical music events are set to brighten the early summer. The Vache Baroque Festival, which runs at The Vache near Chalfont St Giles, made its debut last … Continue reading Hitting the high notes
There’s a great opportunity for young people to gain artistic inspiration, and learn more about how to protect local wildlife and the landscape, at a free event in High Wycombe next month. The Big Draw at Kingsmead Recreation Ground will … Continue reading Natural creativity
Unlike the Moon landing, there was never going to be one giant leap back to normality. A series of small steps will be the way out of lockdown. Yesterday we took three, in and around our home village, supporting local … Continue reading Local returns: three small steps
In recent years, in addition to events in specific locations across the region, a number of Chilterns-wide festivals have sprung up. This is excellent news for two main reasons: (1) more local events from which to choose; (2) in the … Continue reading Feel the festival
Embroidery has never loomed too large in our household, or too high on our list of cultural attractions or artistic skills. True, Helen’s father used to create the odd piece. And her mother once answered “Embroidery” to the Trivial Pursuits … Continue reading Abbey days are here again: a triptych
When you’re wandering round an Oxfordshire town centre in 2018, there are certain things you don’t expect. Such as random sightings of replica cows. Milton Keynes, maybe; it has a reputation for concrete bovines. But we saw a few as … Continue reading The cows have come home…?
There’s always plenty to see at Waddesdon Manor, perhaps the most famous Rothschild house in Britain. At the moment, in addition to the many and various splendours on show all year round, there’s a special exhibition about the Aldobrandini Tazze, … Continue reading The show must go on? The Silver Caesars mystery
Every town has its statues, and Aylesbury probably needs them more than most. Since Henry VIII made it the county town of Buckinghamshire, its fortunes have been mixed. It suffered from an outbreak of plague in 1603-4 and from urban … Continue reading Hello from them: the men who fell to Aylesbury
Off the A418 between Aylesbury and Thame sits a historic house that once housed a French monarch for five years. Hartwell House, now a luxury hotel under National Trust ownership, was home to the court of Louis XVIII of France … Continue reading Louis, Robert and Winston: traces of the famous at a Bucks historic house
I admit it – that heading’s clickbait. As it happens, my view is that our current monarch is one of the more blameless people in British public life today. She has served, stoically and dutifully, for well over 60 years. … Continue reading The carelessness of Queen Elizabeth II
Slow Travel: The Chilterns and Thames Valley 