Innholdsfortegnelse for 17-Feb-2021 i Country Life

FOR some, there’s nothing like Mambo No. Five and cricket on Channel 4 to stir the sporting senses. Memories come flooding back, of that series in 2005, of Ricky Ponting fuming up the stairs, of Kevin Pietersen’s skunk hair, of the catch off Michael Kasprowicz’s glove at Edgbaston. It was free to watch on terrestrial television and it was, in the words of commentator Mark Nicholas, very, very good. So, too, were England in the recent first Test at Chennai, beating the best team in the world in their own backyard by 227 runs. Some 1.1 million of us tuned in to watch Joe Root score a double century; that’s 18% of the total number of people watching television at the time and more than double the number who watched…

ANTHONY GORMLEY, David Shrigley, Jeremy Deller, Ai Weiwei and others are championing ‘The Great Big Art Exhibition’, possibly the UK’s largest ever art show. Created by contemporary-art gallery Firstsite in Colchester, Essex, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the aim is that people across the country make and install art in their windows, front doors or gardens, be they drawings, sculptures or anything else, working individually or as a community. They can then share images via social media using the hashtag #thegreatbigartexhibition2021. There’s a theme proposed by a different artist for each fortnight until the end of April; it started with Animals (Mr Gormley’s idea) and we’ve now moved onto Portraits at Sonia Boyce’s request. Next up is Colour from March 1, proposed by Anish Kapoor. To spark the imagination, Firstsite…

AMID the current struggle to sell catches abroad, Cornish fishermen are renaming produce to better appeal to the British consumer. The two species pinpointed by the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO) are megrim, 95% of which normally goes overseas, and spider crab (left, 85%). Megrim, which has a ‘grim connotation’ according to CFPO chief executive Paul Trebilcock, will be dubbed Cornish sole (cheaper than its Dover cousin) and spider crab will be elevated to Cornish king crab. This isn’t the first time fish have slithered away from unappetising names; Chilean seabass was known as Patagonian toothfish until the 1970s and slimehead is more commonly called deep-sea perch.…

HE cares with a fierce and tireless passion about our smaller family farmers—the small and medium-sized businesses on whose backs rural Britain depends. And he turns this concern into real, practical help,’ enthuses Elizabeth Buchanan, farmer, non-executive director of Defra and former private secretary to The Prince of Wales, who recently received the Farmers Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award. For the better part of 50 years, The Prince of Wales has been committed to assisting farming communities, raising awareness wherever there are issues and championing agricultural innovation. His Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF), founded in 2010, hands out more than £1 million every year, sponsoring ‘hundreds and hundreds of initiatives’, says chairman Lord Curry of Kirkharle. ‘He’s particularly keen that family farms survive and prosper because he knows they’re… the bedrock of…

LATE-NIGHT walks have been one of the outstanding consolations of this winter lockdown. Part of their pleasure lies in the simple fact of escaping from the house after the combined daily challenges of work, homeschooling and meals have been overcome yet again. The night-time streets remain exceptionally quiet and London itself looks spectacular, with more bridges and buildings along the river illuminated than ever before, many of them in colour. The glittering tiers of lights make even the ugliest tower blocks appear glamorous in the darkness. Despite the quiet streets and empty pavements, there is nearly always something going on or unusual to see. Last week in the midst of the freezing weather, for example, Town Mouse walked on a nighttime loop through the West End and across the Thames.…

Walking with dinosaurs Q Work-wise (and life-wise), I think I have a few good years left in me. That is, until I listen to my young colleagues talking about podcasts, Instagram and all manner of things I have no understanding of and little interest in. Is it time for this dinosaur to stand down and make way? A. R., Hertfordshire A Remember the Walkman? Polaroids? These things shall pass. Firstly, and comfortingly, kids do understand that ageism is ‘inappropriate’— when struggling technologically, I shout for a teenager and feel no shame. One appears and deals with the issue, non-judgementally. Secondly: it is in the interests of manufacturers to make devices user-friendly. We mastered the green Amstrad, did we not? We can even (nearly) manage the TV remote. Thirdly: there…

I ENCLOSE a picture of two axe heads. The flint one, on the left, was found in 1963 as I followed a sugar-beet drill, in the parish of Barrowby, Lincolnshire, where I farmed and there is no natural flint for miles around. Lincoln Museum said it was Neolithic and about 4,000 years old—it is certainly beautifully made. The stone one was found about a mile away, in a potato field in the same parish. It is much smoother and must have taken an age to make. Perhaps they were handed down from father to son, as they must have been very important possessions in their day. Jim Bealby, Leicestershire The writer of the letter of the week will win a bottle of Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne…

• Paganica The ancient Roman game, played with a stick and a ball stuffed with feathers, is thought to be the forefather of golf • Sphairistiké This outdoor summer game, patented in 1873 by an English army officer, Walter Clopton Wingfield, developed into what we know today as lawn tennis • Battledore and shuttlecock These collaborative children's games, in which groups of players try to keep a shuttlecock in the air using small bats (or battledores), evolved into badminton • Rackets This ancestor of squash was allegedly invented in the King's Bench and Fleet debtors' prisons in the 18th century, before growing popular in public schools • Tewaaraton With two teams of 100–1,000 players and a pitch up to six miles long, this Native American game would become lacrosse…

• Book in for a treatment with locally sourced ingredients at the rainforest spa • Boutique By Rory (www.byrory.com) is one of the best hotel shops I've come across. I left with a hand-embroidered purse • There’s an impressive array of water sports, but the sea life—including tropical fish and turtles—is best appreciated from a transparent paddle board. You won’t even realise you’re exercising • Fancy working from the beach? I overheard several fellow guests extending their stay. The Work from Paradise package starts at £765 per night…

Easy does it From Alitex's collection with the National Trust, the Scotney greenhouse, £15,950, is made from aluminium for longevity and easy maintenance, finished with a powder-coating in Downland Stone (01730 826900; www.alitex.co.uk) Rough with the smooth This elegant timber orangery is painted in Stone to complement the sandy-coloured Cotswold-stone house, its shape designed to echo the existing structure. A bespoke conservatory or orangery by David Salisbury starts from £40,000, excluding building work (01278 764444; www.davidsalisbury.com) Go with the grain This oak-framed garden room, complete with oak rafters and large glazing panels, is by English Heritage Buildings. A similar structure would cost about £40,000, plus assembly (01424 315059; www.ehbp.com) Up the wall If you want to build a greenhouse against a wall, but the wall is not high enough to…

When Penny was a little girl, she had a toy till that made a satisfying ring. The real thing is even more satisfying, although these days it's mostly swiping, which is somehow more clinical. What started as a retirement interest morphed into a full-time job when the manager had to shield; Henry, her husband, has been hauled off the golf course as hand sanitiser and one-way system monitor, delivery driver, reacher of high shelves, painter of dividing lines outside and patient taker of the more batty telephone orders. Penny is proud of her fill-your-own-milk-bottle initiative and book-swap basket, but it must be admitted that Henry earned the greater street-cred for organising the alcohol licence. KG…

Your slumbering a . It is time to begin their gradual return to visible life. Take each one into a frost-proof glasshouse and inspect it, noting with satisfaction the label attached last autumn. Cut off any tubers that have rotted. Put the plants upright into boxes with some old compost, enough to support them and get them started. Water them and set the boxes out with sufficient light and warmth to generate new growth. Soon, the process of propagation will begin.…

NOTED for both his natural talent—Lawrence was largely self-taught—and good looks, the artist by no means led a charmed life. Having supported his family from the age of 10, he lost both parents in his late twenties. It was at about this time that the portrait painter was involved in doomed love affairs with Sally and Maria Siddons—daughters of tragic actress Sarah Siddons—both of whom suffered premature deaths. Generous towards friends and happy to spend his own money, he racked up huge debts and was known for failing to finish commissioned portraits (right). VM…

‘I always do my best thinking alone in the car’ SOME years ago, on holiday in the Highlands, the dynamic Australian art dealer Rebecca Hossack asked me whether I liked driving. I thought about it. I said I liked being able to look at the changing pageant out of the window, I liked having a comfy chair so close to the radio and I liked the way, after a walk on a blustery day, that a car could be a warm and silent cocoon. So, on the whole, yes, I said, I did like driving. ‘That’s great,’ Rebecca said, with a relish my children still recall. ‘So you won’t mind driving me into Glasgow tomorrow afternoon.’ She was right: I didn’t mind, any more than I minded meandering home…

Mother’s ruin Our unwavering affection for a stiff gin and tonic resulted in a record 124 new distilleries popping up in Britain last year, an increase of 28% Defying Covid A 117-year-old French nun has become the oldest person in Europe to survive Covid-19. Sister Andre (Lucile Randon) says ‘I didn't even realise I had it' Floating in the most peculiar way For the first time in 11 years, the ESA (European Space Agency) is looking for new astronauts, particularly women. Applications open on March 31 Exploring the V&A Images of more than 1.2 million objects from the museum's extraordinary collection have been digitised, together with stories, data and other content. Visit www.vam.ac.uk/collections To spy a mockingbird The North American bird has been spotted in the UK for the…

IT all started on December 4, 1870, when Edwin Ash of Richmond FC wrote to The Times requesting that ‘those who play the rugby-type game… meet to form a code of practice’. About six weeks later, 21 club representatives met at the Pall Mall restaurant on Regent’s Street to select 20 players to represent England in the first ever international contest, on March 27, 1871, after a challenge from Scotland. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has a year-long celebration planned, which includes this month’s launch of Rosa ‘England Rugby’ (below left), proceeds for which will go to the RFU’s Injured Players Foundation. The deep-red, delicately scented variety seems to have something in common with the game’s illustrious players, with grower Harkness Roses describing it as ‘excellent, strong, bushy… very healthy’.…

Ripe and round Marks & Spencer, Classics No12, Crémant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France NV. £10, Marks & Spencer, alc 12% This popular crémant from Sebastien Sauvageot at La Cave des Hautes Côtes is now under the new M&S Classics label. A blend of 75% Pinot Noir with Aligoté, Gamay and Chardonnay, it's ripe and round with aromas and flavours of yellow apple, honey and white flowers, with a good spine of refreshing citrus acidity and a fine mousse. Joyously fruitful Viña Edén, Pueblo Edén Tannat, Maldonado, Uruguay 2018. £13, Wanderlust Wine, alc 14% Entry-level Tannat fermented and aged in concrete in a family-run, gravity-fed winery. It's fruitful, with smoky, creamy blackberry aromas and a smooth, inky palate. Pure fruit balances fresh acidity: a perfect steak wine. Pepper, melon…

IT is leavers as well as remainers who have to get over Brexit. Britain has left the EU, so will they please stop justifying their decision and get on with making it work. Admitting it’s not all plain sailing is the necessary prelude to putting things right. Some 49% of UK-based exporters are suffering problems with the new arrangements and yet the Government claims that everything is going swimmingly—when it clearly isn’t. When food exporters complain that there are real problems at ports and that EU exports have plummeted, instead of rushing to their aid, ministers simply claim that businesses have overstated their case and that, after some teething troubles, things are now almost ‘normal’. Yet we all know they’re not and, just as remainers must resist saying ‘we told…

Margaret Howell is a designer. In 2007, she was made a Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts ‘My first reaction to this small painting was a pang of nostalgia. My parents had a similar knife, which had seen better days and was kept for those “odd jobs”. I still use it. What really attracts me to this painting is its mix of styles. The handle of the knife is realistically painted with the assured brushstroke of a Manet still life. But an abstract composition is created, once the blade enters the liquid and is subtly distorted, flattened, and framed by reflections. I feel the strength of this painting is its apparent simplicity–the ordinary can be special’…

Despite everything that's been thrown at the travel industry, there is still an abundance of exciting openings in 2021. Airelles Château de Versailles (above)-inside the Palace of Versailles grounds-opens soon, with an Alain Ducasse restaurant and Valmont spa (www.airelles.com). In Italy, Hotel Castello di Reschio, a 3,700-acre ancient estate in Umbria, re-opens on April 21, after years of careful restoration (www.reschio.com). On the island of Sicily, there is Villa Igiea, a Belle Epoque palazzo that once attracted royalty and the best of Hollywood (www.roccofortehotels.com). The 100-villa Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, opens in June, in time for the popular eastern atoll manta-ray season (www.ritzcarlton.com)…

THOMAS LAWRENCE was never paid for the portrait he painted, in 1789, of George III’s wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Instead, the precocious 20 year old submitted the picture to the Royal Academy (RA) in the spring of 1790, where it was judged among ‘the best Portraits in the Room’. Neither King nor Queen agreed. Despite initiating the commission, Charlotte was upset by young Lawrence’s ‘rather presuming’ manner and granted him a single sitting. Her own manner on that occasion survives in primary sources as markedly prickly. From her sniffy hauteur, Lawrence wrested nevertheless an image of tranquil dignity, sumptuous in its treatment of the gauzy layers of her frock and the Queen’s milky complexion, spoiled by excessive snuff-taking and the anxieties of 18 months that had witnessed her husband’s mental…

OVER the past year, with many restaurants and pubs shut and exports up in the air, Britain’s deer population has risen to more than two million, the highest in 1,000 years. The Forestry Commission, RSPB, landowners and many others are concerned about the devastating effect of this on woodland biodiversity; young trees will be destroyed and many wild deer will starve to death. Now, the duo behind award-winning Owl Barn Larder, which usually provides wild venison to Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, has embarked on a new venture that will see sustainable meat delivered to UK consumers—Deer Box. It is hoped that the initiative will not only spread the word about how easy to prepare, versatile and delicious venison is, but also aid the urgent situation caused by unwieldy herds.…

Adrenalin-junkie stags Earlier this month, a stag found its way onto the Cresta Run at St Moritz; the creature couldn't escape the ice alone, but was escorted across the finish and back into the forest Satire Joseph Heller's Catch-22 has been dubbed the most confusing book of all time, as a new study into Google searches finds queries about it raised online 49,810 times per month London landlords The majority of 18–34 year olds (55%) want to head for the sticks after the pandemic, with the capital's population likely to decline for the first time this century, finds a new survey…

The mystery about quite why we sing an African-American spiritual at England rugby matches was solved last year, when archive footage of the 1987 Middlesex Sevens tournament at Twickenham was examined. An ‘unmistakable' serenade can be heard for winger Martin ‘Chariots' Offiah, who was speedy enough to earn a punning nickname that referenced the film Chariots of Fire. The RFU now believes this is the song's first Twickenham outing, sung to spur on Mr Offiah, although it had been heard at rugby clubs since the 1960s.…

NO snow has fallen on this Devon spit to ease the monotony of February. In these seemingly tropical environs—compared with the rest of the snow-blanketed country, at least—the only logical response has been to swim. On certain mornings, high tide coincides with sunrise and it’s possible to slip off some frost-bitten steps (no wading out required) and straight into the deep, 9˚C water. By the time I’ve reached a buoy, some 20 yards away, and the sun itself is in full view, just above the horizon and casting everything in an orangey glow, my body is numb and impervious to the cold. It’s almost fun, which must explain why I keep coming back for more. On calmer still days, the slack water barely moves and an ethereal sea mist hovers…

THE enclosed photograph shows one of the finest examples I have ever found of fog crystals, and was taken a few days ago at a height of 3,500ft on Ben Cruachan in Argyll. Fog crystals are formed on the windward side of rocks and boulders of the high hills after strong winds accompanied by fog on the tops. These fog crystals are frequently of very beautiful shape and finest texture. They all face towards the wind that was blowing at the time they were formed. There has, this winter, been unusually little snow and frost on the high hills 1) Iron and carbon 2) Chocolate 3) Bread and butter 4) The horse 5) Top hat…

In defence of February I WAS struck by the Editor’s remark that February is his least favourite month (Country Mouse, February 3). Forty years ago, I was astonished to hear my new mother-in-law declare it to be her favourite month. She described to me how, every February, there are a significant number of dazzling days with intense blue skies and vivid sunshine, when the natural world is held in perfect poise. Thoroughly sceptical, I resolved to take note and I have had to admit that she is right. Today, the sun is burnishing the morning mist and a crisp chill lends a piercing clarity to birdsong. The scents of winter honeysuckle and wintersweet are almost medicinal in their purity as they attempt to attract the few insects that go…

ALTHOUGH every museum and gallery in London remains closed, there is one unconventional art venue in the centre of town that has never shut its doors. Indeed, it doesn’t have any. Leake Street is a thoroughfare tunnel that runs underneath the full breadth of the railway lines of Waterloo Station. It was closed to traffic more than a decade ago and, since that time, it has become an informal venue for graffiti artists. Their images extend up the walls, across the vault and even decorate the road surface. Although Leake Street never feels like a threatening place to visit, it certainly looks like one. As a result, the space is used a great deal for photo and video shoots. In happier times, bustling bars and performance venues opened off it.…

THE critic Robert Hughes wrote of Diebenkorn’s art that it was ‘a masterly demonstration of a sensibility in growth’. Diebenkorn’s life similarly appears to have evolved as inexorably as a plant. He was born in Portland, Oregon, the only child of a hotel supply salesman and his wife. Two years later, the family moved to California, which became Diebenkorn’s lifetime base. Summers with his maternal grandmother laid artistic foundations, which led him to Stanford University to read Liberal Arts in 1940. US-based wartime service in the Marine Corps, including a semester on the GI Bill at the California School of Fine Arts, fostered his artistic ambitions. His first show was in 1952, his first retrospective 1960, his first honour 1982—all climaxing with honorary membership of the Royal Academy in 1992.…

• Men and women have chosen lives of solitary contemplation from the earliest days of Christianity in Britain. Unlike hermits, who could leave their dwellings, anchorites (from the Greek for ‘to withdraw’) were permanently attached to their cells or ‘anchor holds’, which often adjoined a church or chapel • Hermits either lived off alms or were supported by monastic institutions or by the nobility, who established hermitages on their estates and appointed hermits to pray for their families • With the suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century, hermitages fell out of favour, but came back into fashion as garden features for about 100 years from the 1730s. Descendants of those families who had once engaged hermits to pray for them now built fantasy refuges to return to Nature…

• April 13, 1769 Born in Bristol • 1787 Moves to London and studies at the RA • 1791 Elected associate of the RA and, in 1794, academician • 1792 Appointed painter-in-ordinary to George III • 1810 Patronised by the Prince Regent (later George IV) • 1815 Receives knighthood • 1816 Gives evidence in support of acquisition of the Elgin Marbles • 1820 Elected president of the RA • January 7, 1830 Dies at home in London-the funeral is held at St Paul's Cathedral and his remains are buried in Painters' Corner…

WE are looking at the Crocodile Coup, a defender having to win the trick with a higher card than necessary, swallowing partner’s high card, to avoid partner being endplayed. Declarer ruffed West’s King of Diamonds lead, crossed to the Ace of Hearts (West discarding a Diamond) and led the Queen of Spades, covered by the King and Ace. He ruffed a Spade, crossed to the King of Hearts (West throwing another Diamond) and ruffed a third Spade. No Knave of Spades appeared, but he ruffed, ruffed a Diamond and ruffed a fourth Spade. At trick nine, declarer cashed the Ace of Diamonds, discarding a Club from dummy, to reach the following ending. Declarer cashed the Ace of Clubs and the defence had to be accurate to win their two Club…