We go to hospital to get well, but does the hospital environment itself affect our wellbeing? In the mid-1980s, I had the dubious pleasure of visiting the Soho Hospital for Women. It was full-on linoleum, with Florence Nightingale style iron bedsteads, surrounded by 1950s floral curtains: A palace of white ceramic ... Read More...
RetroProgressive
Dabbler style
If you are looking for something to do on a Saturday between now and the end of the month, I can recommend a visit to Sands Films Studio in Rotherhithe. Go along for tea and cake at 4.0 pm, followed by a tour of the premises and a screening of ... Read More...
To make up for the lack of time I’ve had to prepare a post this week, I thought you might like to see inside some of the rooms at London’s Corinthia Hotel. Sorry, I’m not inviting you there for a clandestine kiss and cuddle - but I do have some ... Read More...
On the second day of London Fashion Week, here’s an exclusive insight into the mythically glamorous world of the ready to wear fashion show: A How to get a ticket and what to expect Even if you've previously been to a designer's show, you’ll generally still have to re-apply each season - ... Read More...
Whether you celebrate it or not, Valentine’s Day is becoming more commercial every year. And it seems to be getting weirder too. With just a few days to go, here are some gruesome gift ideas that will send a shudder down your spine… First up, from Ireland, a cojoined twins pin ... Read More...
On Monday I heard an item on Radio 4's Today programme about bees and colony collapse disorder – I can’t quite recall, but I think it may have been something to do with the ‘zombie’ parasite fly honeybee killer reported in Scientific American? On Tuesday I visited the Royal College of ... Read More...
Susan is away this week, but that does give us another opportunity to publish her magnificent Dabbler Style Guide, which will enable you to establish what 'brow' you are... Inspired by the above magnificent chart from a 1940s edition of TIME magazine (click on it for a larger picture), which purports to ... Read More...
This time of the year is hell for regular gym-goers like me. In the New Year rush to achieve bodily perfection, classes are full to bursting point with uncoordinated newbies, whose lack of spatial awareness makes even the most basic of aerobic moves positively hazardous. Nevertheless, as the debate rages ... Read More...
The Ford Edsel was launched on ‘E’ Day, the 4th September, 1957. It was so big, it had its own television special on October 13th, called The Edsel Show, featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and Louis Armstrong. Research and development had gone into overdrive to create the Edsel; ... Read More...
Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable time over Christmas? Mine was somewhat quieter than expected… mainly due to the lack of a television signal. I’m sure there are many advantages of communal living, but sharing a satellite dish doesn’t seem to be one of them. I didn’t ... Read More...
