Recent necrology, May 2012

A list of notable people who have died recently

• Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, 1925-2012
  Sublime baritone who became a pivotal figure in the cultural rehabilitation of post-war Germany
• Carlos Fuentes, 1928-2012
  Titan among Latin America’s literary ‘Magical Realists’ who commanded a worldwide audience
  
• Paul Fussell, 1924-2012
  Scholar who showed how the British experience of the Great War destroyed all faith in ‘progress’
• Angelica Garnett, 1918-2012
  Artist and writer who was brought up in the Bloomsbury Group and married her father’s lover
• Derek Hammond-Stroud, 1926-2012
  Versatile baritone who ranged from German lieder and Wagner to Gilbert and Sullivan
• Charles Higham, 1931-2012
  Unpleasant biographer who tarnished the names of Errol Flynn and the Duchess of Windsor, among others
• Pierre Magnan, 1922-2012
  Bestselling writer of detective novels whose fictional France became a gothic playground for the malevolent
• Joyce Redman, 1918-2012
  Actress who starred with Olivier and Alec Guinness and was tastily matched with Albert Finney
• Vidal Sassoon, 1928-2012
  Hairdresser who jettisoned perms and lacquers for sharp styles that shaped the Swinging Sixties
• Maurice Sendak, 1928-2012
  Author and illustrator proclaimed as the ‘Picasso of children’s books’ and best known for Where the Wild Things Are
• Donna Summer, 1948-2012
  Queen of disco whose songs became the soundtrack for the strobe-lit clubbers of the Seventies
• Alan Thorne, 1939-2012
  Anthropologist who challenged the Out of Africa theory of the development of Homo sapiens

Nesting Instincts

As much as I’m starting to resent the cold mornings, short days and my inability to understand the concept of layering, (I’m stubbornly hanging on to wearing my summer clothes!) there are wonderful things about winter I do enjoy.

I love closing curtains, turning on the heat pump and ‘nesting’. I wish I had an open fire, but alas I do not. I love cooking stews in my slow cooker, making baking and puddings my Mum used to make, and embarking on projects that for some reason seem too much like hard work in the heat of the summer. This winter’s projects come from a stunning book, The Re-purposed Library.

It is filled with projects using old books. Anything from bookshelves made from books to Christmas decorations and lamps. I’m hoping to adorn both my home and the library I work in.

I also, sadly, enjoy cleaning out drawers and cupboards, no need to wait for spring. I find all sorts of treasures, and hopefully get ruthless enough to throw things out.

I just enjoy the feeling of snuggling down into my house, enjoying it as a space to be in and create in.

I watch a lot of movies, and always hope there will be a series on television I can get hooked into.

Having friends over for drinks and a movie, or dinner is lovely too. It was one of my resolutions when I turned the big 50 that I would keep in touch with my friends this year, and so far it’s been great to catch up amongst the busy lives we lead.

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk by the fire: it’s the time for home  – Edith Sitwell

Do you love winter, tolerate it or endure? What are your favourite winter activities, I’m an indoor kinda gal, but you may prefer outdoor pursuits? Are you planning a project?