Lessons Learnt
The streets are busier, the restaurants are re-opening and I am taking a wild stab that a large proportion of you will have received your second dose by now. Things are looking good for a better summer than last year and, being a “population half vaccinated” optimist, I am avoiding contingency statements!
With the havoc of panic over, the analysis begins on where things went wrong in government and the lessons learned. Personally, too, we can take stock of what we have achieved in each of our lockdowns (because I must have something to counter my weight gain!). Not that I curtain twitch on a regular basis, but there is someone over in Bryer Court who has gone from simple squats to (fiendishly heavy looking) kettlebell swings at a rate that inspired me to Joe Wicks at least once! So, congratulations to all of you who have managed to get even fitter during our lockdown. I both envy and salute you!
Resident Kate Willoughby has also been busy during lockdown. Fellow Barbican-er and London Blue Badge guide, Erin Summers, interviewed Kate to discover the inspiration for her project – Lockdown Fuels Positive Creativity: What’s inspired YOU during Lockdown? – which won one of the Culture Mile’s ten Imagine Fund micro-grants.
Now that all the bridges are lit up, take up the offer on the Illuminated River website to explore more than 3 miles of art installations transforming the Thames at night. We have included a brief, and their website has plenty of resources to share the fun: from self-guided walks with maps and audio tours to kids’ packs to keep your gene pool busy over the holidays.
On a rainy day, you might prefer to stay indoors and drool over Adrien Giacchero’s jam recipe (based on the traditions and recommendations passed down from his Grandfather in Provence).
You probably heard about all the filming going on around Aldersgate Street in March. I rubber-necked from the Podium, trying to appear coolly disinterested, but our intrepid Peter Savage cornered the squad for an insider’s perspective and shares his gallery of photos from the day.
Staying with the exotic world of film, and to give you a travel fix, I have included an article on WildEarth, who stream live safaris twice daily online (and now to our TVs); a little bit of Africa for you while we can’t be there in person.
And finally, reminding us that summer has arrived, Julien Waite educates us on bees; this makes a mockery of my O level ‘lifecycle of a bee’ standard, but we’re never too old to learn!
Have a wonderful summer and stay well!
