The Transmitter Issue 24

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A SOUTH EAST LONDON MAGAZINE

ISSUE 24 JUNE 2012

www.thetransmitter.co.uk

OW!

KAP IT'S THE

SIZZLING SUMMER SPORT

CRYSTAL PALACE FESTIVAL ZUMBA IN THE PARK

ISSUE!

LET's hear it For team brasil!!

Plus

EVENTS

GARDENING

MUSIC

BOOKS

RECIPES

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17 Real Ales and Real Ciders 2 Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace SE19 2AA 020 8778 4109

Multi award-winning alehouse and the only pub in SE19 in The Good Beer Guide Crystal Palace train/ overground station 3mins, Crystal Palace bus station 1min www.thegrapeandgrainse19.co.uk

The Old Chocolate Factory 74-76 Knights Hill, West Norwood 020 8761 2522 www.roseberys.co.uk info@roseberys.co.uk

Bid For Something Beautiful QUARTERLY FINE ART AUCTION 19 and 20 June Viewing: 15 June 1-5pm, 17 June 10-2pm, 18 June 9.30-5.30pm ANTIQUE AND COLLECTOR’S AUCTION Includes fashion designer Basia Zarzycka’s private collection and ‘The London Auction’ 21 July Viewing: 19 July 1-5pm, 20 July 9.30-5.30pm ANTIQUE AND COLLECTOR’S AUCTION 11 August Viewing: 9 August 1-5pm, 10 August 9.30-5.30pm VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT ABOUT FREE VALUATIONS

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WELCOME TO THE SUMMER ISSUE editor Andy Pontin writers Michael Eyre Sarah Edmonds Alex Fowler Jonathan Main Howard Male Annette Prosser Manish Utton-Mishra Sue Williams photography Nicolai Amter Mark Blundell Louise Haywood-Schiefer Simon Sharville Andy Pontin Dan Worth printing The Marstan Press Ltd Contact

Transmission Publications Ltd PO Box 53556, London SE19 2TL

www.thetransmitter.co.uk editor@thetransmitter.co.uk 020 8771 5543 @thetransmitter

or our summer 2012 issue we are shedding our normal F British aesthetic and cultural restraint and celebrating a sun-drenched feast of festivals, international sport and

visitors from far flung Brazil. Sadly, the ladies beach volleyball team had not arrived in Crystal Palace in time for us to arrange a photoshoot.

In order to avoid any legal unpleasantness, we have been as careful as possible to avoid using protected Games’ Marks in this issue, as advised in the official literature.

As a non-L**d** 2**2 sponsor, in this issue we have not been able to show the *l**p*c Symbol or use the words ‘L**d** 2**2’ or the words ‘*l**p*c’, ‘*l**p*ad’, ‘*l**p*an’ (and their plurals and words very similar to them eg ‘*l**p*x’, or the *l**p*c motto: F****r, H****r, S******r .

But just when we were starting to think that we, as a non-L**d** 2**2 sponsors, would not be able to show our support at all without fear of legal repercussions, we found some helpful guidance on the L**d** 2**2 website: ‘we have no objection to things such as office parties being held to celebrate the Games’ ‘we encourage spontaneous displays of patriotism – whether by someone flying a flag at home, from their car in their office or in their shop or business premises’ So as soon as I have finished this Ed’s Letter I am dashing off to organise The Transmitter *l**p*cs office party where we may, after a glass of vino or three, break into some spontaneous displays of patriotism. Or throw up.

Enjoy

Cover Brazilian martial arts from Capoeira Ceara in Bethnal Green, who are appearing in Crystal Palace Park on Sunday 22 July (see p 15) www.capoeira-ceara.co.uk Photography by Nicolai Amter

Disclaimer The views expressed by contributors are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect this magazine's editorial policy or the views of any employee of Transmission Publications Ltd

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SUBSCRIBE! TO THE TRANSMITTER 2 WAYS TO DO IT!

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CONTENTS FEATURES

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THE BRAZILIANS ARE COMING! In case you didn't know already

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BIKES BIKES BIKES

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CRYSTAL PALACE FESTIVAL

Full listings of all the fun in our handy pull out section

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HIGH FLYERS

We visit My Aerial Home in Penge where they fly around

A round-up of local cycling activities and cycling people

REGULARS

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36

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SUMMER NEWS AND EVENTS

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VOX POP

What do you think about the *l**p*cs?

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RACHEL'S RECIPE: FIRST CLASS TICKET TO RIO

Fruity summer drinks, Brazil style!

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FASHION: VINTAGE IN THE AIR

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FOOD: THE STORY OF CHEESE

Manish Utton-Mishra continues his cheesy history

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WINE: DEN OF GREEK

Michael Eyre goes back to where it all began...

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GARDENING: PALACE PATCH

Sue Williams lets the tendrils embrace her

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THE BOOKSELLER

Jonathan Main rounds up some reading matter

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MUSIC: THERE’S A WORLD OUT THERE!

Fasten your seatbelts, Howard Male is taking off again

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OLD FOSSILS RETIREMENT HOME

Some of it is true and some of it we make up. You decide!

3 girls in Penge take to the air styled in local vintage

The old dinos continue their uneasy existence

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EMAIL US: editor@thetransmitter.Co.Uk

SUMMER NEWS & EVENTS

HERE COMES A HOT BRAZILIANA STYLE SUMMER OF FESTIVAL FUN & SUN

BUMPY RIDE The Gipsy Hill Tavern played excellent host in April this year to the increasingly popular London Classic cycle charity event. After a 40-mile course covering as many cobbled streets as possible, riders congregated in their luscious beer garden in brilliant sunshine to eat, drink, chat and recover. Live coverage of the Tour of Flanders on the big telly, a bit of cycle jumble and a raffle prize of an All-City frameset made the event complete (and the pub being at the bottom of Gipsy Hill meant everyone arrived at the finishing post slightly less breathless than usual). Around 300 riders took part, raising funds for the Evelina Children’s Hospital: the page will be open until 1 August should you wish to add a donation (http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ londonclassic2012). For pics and more information about the event see www. thelondonclassic.org

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Photo: Louise Haywood-Schiefer

THE BELLS THE BELLS

SEAN'S SHOW

TEA IN THE PARK

One particular Olympic event has caught the attention of Team Transmitter – want to take part? At 8am on Friday 27 July you can be part of the Cultural Olympiad simply by ringing a bell. It’s a London 2012 Festival commission created by artist and musician Martin Creed entitled: All the bells in one country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes. Slightly bonkers, yes, but it sounds fun and uplifting and a suitably stirring way to mark the start of the Olympic festivities. Anyone can do it: it can be a private or public event, in any venue, using any bell.

Church bell, school bell, bicycle bell – it’s up to you. On the terraces in Crystal Palace Park anyone? See www.allthebells. com for details or to register your own event.

If you like a larf then pop down the road to The Hob in Forest Hill on Sunday 17 June and catch the first of a series of their Edinburgh comedy previews with Sean Hughes trying out his new stand up show. Sean is now more mature (closer to death) and has issues he wants to discuss (has anyone seen his keys?) and important questions to ask: does David Attenborough actually like animals? Also on the bill is satirical songbird Steve Gribbin. On Sunday 24 June Loretta Maine returns to the Fringe with her new hour of amazing sexy woe, sharing the bill with David Whitney and his show - Struggling To Evolve.

There are many fantastic goings-on these days in the increasingly-popular Westow Park, and soon you’ll be able to get yourself a cuppa there too. The Secret Café, a mobile unit, will make its first fleeting appearance on 16 June during the festival, serving hot and cold drinks, veggie soups, paninis, sandwiches and healthy snacks.

Co-founder Diane Ridings is pleased to have Dark Fluid coffee, Pimp My Cupcakes and Kindred Bakery on board – ‘we want to use local suppliers whenever we can’ she explains – and if you take your own cup you’ll get 10p off. Provided cups will be compostable, ending up enriching the soil for the park’s Edible Garden. Look out for the official grand opening of the The Secret Café on Saturday 23 June and you can contact info@secretcafe.co.uk for more news and details.

The Hob 7 Devonshire Road Forest Hill SE23 3HE 7.30pm £8 (£5 concs)

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Photo: James Balston

IT's FESTIVAL TIME again!

If you missed Crystal Palace Overground Festival 2011 last August you missed a treat, especially on the Saturday when thousands descended on SE19 and enjoyed a wonderful day wandering around the Triangle or lazing on the grass in Westow Park and 2012 is shaping up to be better than ever.

The Festival has moved to June, so hopefully no-one will be off in Tuscany and miss it! If you don’t know the date already, make a note now: Saturday 16 June.

Leading up to the weekend there’s lots happening too: the Gipsy Hill Tavern host jazz band Fascinating Rhythm on Wed 13 June at 8pm, starting the festival off with a swing party, and on Thurs 14 June 5-8pm, any budding footballers between the ages of 5-18 can learn some ball skills in Westow Park from Crystal Palace FC. In Westow Park on the Saturday there’ll be a fantastic range of live performances on the Antenna Music Stage, delicious food (yes, more than last year!), fabulous demonstrations including one on Japanese cuisine with Yuki

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from Yuki’s Kitchen, beer-tasting, and an expert introduction to choosing wines from Matt Wall.

Kids’ workshops, eclectic stalls and a healing area all add to the mix.

Around the Triangle the shops will be bustling, the pubs will be buzzing and the restaurants will be tempting you in with their specialities of the day. The festival is a real community-led event, created and organised by local volunteers and sponsored by local businesses including Acorn, Amphlett Lissimore, Full Spectrum, Bambino and The Little Escape.

Spread the word! See you there! www.crystalpalacefestival.org

carrying the TORCH You cannot fail to have noticed that there is much hoo-ha throughout the country as the ‘*l**p*c torch wends its fiery way up hill and down dale towards its final resting place at the Stratford stadium and you’ll be able to see it up-close and held high around and about SE19 on Monday 23 July.

Leaving Bromley at around 9am, the torch will travel up through Beckenham and Penge and along Crystal Palace Park Road before turning into the park at the Fisherman’s Gate entrance at around 10.30am. After a jog through the park, one of the torchbearers will be doing a showpiece run up and down the steps by the terraces.

It’s not yet confirmed but the torch might also be carried around the stadium for a lap or two. The relay then continues out of the park via Anerley Hill, and then along Church Road towards Croydon at around 11.20am. Details are subject to change, so keep your eye on local news and don’t forget there will be rolling roadblocks.

Crystal Palace resident Dafydd Farr-Jones, tireless (and very tall) campaigner for charity Beating Bowel Cancer, is one of the day’s torchbearers although it’s not yet confirmed which stage he’ll be running. You’ll know it’s him, though, he’ll be the one with the regulation one-size-fits-all ‘*l**p*c jogging bottoms up round his knees: ‘The trousers are 5 inches too short!’ he tells us.

Basia FOR SALE

STORMY MEETING

MAD MAN MERCKX

One of the highlights of Rosebery’s July auction will be the private collection of fashion and accessories designer Basia Zarzycka.

Some 250 residents gathered in the Salvation Army hall in May to tell Croydon Council what they thought about the threatened closure of the Upper Norwood library. Councillor Sara Bashford was given quite a bashing, and was accused of flouting the legal agreement that has been in place with Lambeth Council for over 100 years; Councillor Timothy Godfrey has now taken over as councillor with responsibility for libraries. The consultation process is now closed, and the campaign awaits news.

Come on Croydon! It’s great to hear that one of your high streets has been selected as one of the 12 Mary Portas pilots for regeneration, don’t spoil ours by closing down this vital Crystal Palace asset. Visit the campaign website for more information and to sign up for the newsletter www.unlc.org.uk

Cadence Performance hosted a Q&A session with cycling journalist William Fotheringham in May, as he discussed his latest book Merckx: Half-Man, Half-Bike. Fotheringham regaled his audience with tales of this sensational Belgian cyclist and his extraordinary career (obsessed with the glory of the win, he once single-handedly increased his Tour de France 8-minute lead in the final days by yet another 8 minutes). He spoke also of this year’s Tour, of sprint hero Mark Cavendish and the potential of Bradley Wiggins, and, of course, the club-cyclist’s hot topic: professional cyclists’ drug abuse.

Had Fotheringham let them, this appreciative crowd would probably still be interrogating him now. A great venue for such an event, and a great Father’s Day gift too, especially if the Dad in question likes bikes.

Basia is perhaps best known for her couture wedding dresses, sold from her Sloane Square emporium, described as 'the most romantic shop in London' by Hilary Alexander, fashion editor of the Daily Telegraph.

Some of the 250 lots to be auctioned are from the bridal collection including a 10 foot tulle skirt and train, handmade wedding shoes and a stunning range of tiaras. Other lots range from antique corsets to vintage beaded handbags, fans, antique hats and shawls.

Richard Gibbon, Rosebery’s textile specialist said, 'Basia’s policy was to buy the best examples of each genre so the quality of every lot in this auction is unparalleled.'

The auction is at 11am on Saturday 21 July at Roseberys, The Old Chocolate Factory, 74-76 Knights Hill, London SE27 0JD. Viewing 1-5pm on Thursday 12 July, 9.305.30pm on Friday 13 July and on morning of the sale from 9-10.45am.

Merckx: Half-Man, Half-Bike (£16.99)

by William Fotheringham available from Cadence Performance, Anerley Hill, SE19

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TRADING PLACES KEEPING AN EYE ON LOCAL business, as usual

OOH BABY BABY The news that Vintagehart are introducing a petite range of vintageinspired togs for the under 5s (go see their stall when they launch in Westow Park at the festival on 16 June) has reminded us that there are several local options for those looking for baby and toddler gear.

Organic cotton babygros are aplenty in Smash Bang Wallop, along with delightful fairly-traded organic cotton toys. Meanwhile Julie’s Handmade World – fast becoming a favourite stop-off for gifts for little ‘uns with their lovable knitted animals – also stocks pretty handmade dresses and fabulous knitwear. For cool pre-schoolers, Grand Bay stock Converse in miniscule sizes (and yes, they are cute). No need to travel further afield, you yummy mummies, it’s all right here on the Triangle …

MENSWEAR ALERT! Blackbird Bakery seems to be thriving in its new home, with space for lots more of us to open up our baby beaks and gobble up their delicious offerings. But what of their erstwhile cosy spot? Surely such a neat little shop has tempted someone with style to hit our high street with their wares? We’ve heard rumour that the rather classy Simon Carter is that someone. You may already know his watches and men’s accessories from Smash Bang Wallop; this new space will offer the perfect environment for his clothing range, which should see the menfolk of Crystal Palace get just that little bit smarter. Watch that space!

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… and on Saturday 23 June you’ll also find just what you’re looking for halfway down Gipsy Hill at Sell It Mama! For those in babyland, this local event has become part of the getting ready, topping-up, decluttering calendar. Visit the sale to buy quality secondhand baby goods, anything from prams and cots to clothes, toys and books.

Local entrepreneurial parents are also there showcasing their products and services with a mother & baby theme. Look out for This is Wiss, Blowing Dandelions & Andrea Whelan Photography.

Christ Church, Highland Rd, SE19 11am-2.30pm (doors open for pregnant queue bumpers at 10.30am) Admission: Children FREE Adults £2 www.sellitmama.com

MINI MUSIC MAKERS Upper Norwood Joint Library hosts a series of new fun workshops this summer aimed at 5-11 year olds run by innovative company Imagine Music. Using iPad-based applications, children can explore the world of sound, music and video production first hand. For ‘Let’s record a song’ children get to know each other by creating a song using all their names and at the same time learn about what goes into making a musical arrangement. The course also involves percussion, dancing, video and documentary production.

The 4-day workshops run weekly from 30 July (£96 per week including a cool messenger bag!) www.imagine-music.co.uk

At the centre of this year’s festival is Word Explosion, a celebration of children’s literature.

‘Guardian columnist Lucy Mangan has agreed to host a debate with three high-profile authors on the future of reading and writing for teenage girls, which is very exciting,’ says Jonathan. ‘I’m also very pleased that we’ve got the brilliant Roger McGough, who’ll be reading poems from his book That Awkward Age at Forest Hill School on 14 July.’

Other Word Explosion events include Dear Mr Dahl, in which professional actors will read

A SUMMER OF ARTS IN SYDENHAM

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ith its mix of big-name attractions and homegrown talent, the Sydenham Arts Festival (1–15 July) promises something for everyone, says Kirsten Edwards, whether you’re into poetry, music, dance, visual art or literature

Now a regular fixture on south east London’s calendar, the Sydenham Arts Festival starts with a bang on Sunday 1 July with Arts in the Park, a family fun day in Home Park.

There’ll be music and dance acts on the main stage throughout the afternoon, including the unique and ‘out there’ Randolph Matthews at 5pm. There’s also storytelling, free arts activities, children's games, street performance, theatre, puppetry and walkabout acts, as well as a funfair and food stalls offering food from around the world.

extracts from the books of Roald Dahl, and an open-air production of The Jungle Book by Jonathan’s theatre company, Spontaneous Productions, on Albion Millennium Green.

‘It’ll be great fun – we’ve got a cast of children from two local schools playing the monkeys,’ says Jonathan. To tie in with the production, children aged between

seven and 14 can attend a free Animalympics physical theatre workshop, after which they’ll perform for parents and friends.

A regular feature of the festival is Sydenham Unsigned (13 July, Tudor Livesey Hall), in which local bands battle it out to win the audience’s vote for best unsigned band. The winners will receive a day of free recording time from local company Antenna Studios. Special guests Ziegler Company were last year’s winners – they’ve now been signed and are about to release their first album.

There’s also the popular Visual Arts Trail, in which around 50 artists from all over Sydenham and Forest Hill open their studios over two weekends, and a free film screening of The Little Shop of Horrors in Mayow Park on 8 July.

Well-known comics such as Mark Little and Lucy Porter will be trying out their Edinburgh Festival material at The Hob on 1 and 15 July and, on Sunday 8 July, you can watch and join in with traditional folk dancing at Horniman Gardens, courtesy of Trinity Laban and the Horniman Museum. To round things off, the South London Jazz Orchestra will perform jazz and swing classics at St Bartholomew’s Church on 15 July.

The Sydenham Arts Festival runs from 1 to 15 July. For the full programme, pick up a brochure at the Kirkdale Bookshop, 272 Kirkdale SE26, or at your local library, or visit www.sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk

The festival was set up four years ago by local theatre producer, Jonathan Kaufman. ‘It’s about bringing the community together and showing people that the arts is for everyone,’ he says. ‘This year we’ve got more than 50 events, and lots of them are free.’

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OUR FAVOURITE DIGITAL SWITCHOVER PIC PHOTO: ADAM BURT

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THE BRAZILIANS ARE COMING! It’s

all a bit cloak and dagger, but it’s safe to say that in a few weeks’ time, our neighbourhood will become a fleeting home from home for a wave of athleticlooking Brazilians. Or make that, actual athletic Brazilians, as Team Brasil will be training at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (CPNSC) before they make their way to Stratford as their part in the 'Games' begins.

In recent weeks you may have been lucky enough to have

participated in the swim camps, during which members of the public had the opportunity to swim alongside the Brasil team and talk technique with their coaches. A treat indeed, as these athletes are at the top of their game, and this summer is the climax to many years of training: these final, intense weeks are vital.

So keep your eyes peeled. Over the coming months we’ll see a huge operation masterminded by the staff at the CPNSC as over

250 Brazilian athletes (and 300+ support staff) are hotbedded between lil’ old Crystal Palace and the Olympic Village. In fact, the successful relationship forged between the Centre and Team Brasil has already paved the way for the CPNSC to be named as their official European Training Camp Base for events leading up the 2016 *l**p*c s, so we’ll be seeing a lot more of them as they prepare for events throughout Europe in the next four years.

It's all going

Braziliana SAYS Sarah Edmonds As our little corner of London is playing host to the Brazilian *l**p*c team, there seems no better way to celebrate than enjoying an exotic slice of Brazil in the Braziliana Café on Westow Hill.

The family-run café, owned by locals Marcos & Mariana Camarotte, has a warm and welcoming atmosphere and is a great place to enjoy a lazy breakfast, lunch with the kids or a nice glass of wine.

The friendly staff are more than happy to guide customers through the extensive menu which is jam packed with traditional Brazilian fare; recommendations are the Brazilian feijoada (a pork and beef stew with black beans served with rice and farofa) and the picanha (deliciously tender Brazilian steak). Be sure to save room for dessert because the prestigio (coconut and chocolate cake) should not be missed!

Photos: Nicolai Amter

Following the success of last year’s raucous summer parties, the cafe is now open until 11pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Marcos and Mariana will be serving up an even bigger selection of deliciousness including Brazilian street food and a

Brazilian barbecue. As if that wasn’t enough, customers can enjoy some live music whilst sipping on a cold beer or Caipirinha in the company of the athletes themselves.

Word is that Marcos and Mariana also have an *l**p*c ticket giveaway planned - keep your eyes peeled for details. For those of us who failed miserably to get tickets for London 2012 this could be the last chance to witness a piece of the action!

Braziliana Westow Hill SE19

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Carnival Sunday 22 July Crystal Palace Park

GET READY TO ZUMBA! B

ig Dance comes to sunny (we hope) South London on Sunday 22 July as everyone is invited to strut their stuff in Crystal Palace Park and find out more about the joys of dance. And what a buzzing hive of activity it will be with free taster workshops offering lessons in many different types of dance including samba, line-dancing, flamenco and Bollywood. The day starts with

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a Brazilian carnival parade at 12 noon (perfect for welcoming those Brazilian Olympians) and dance demonstrations featuring capoeira, salsa, freeze and contemporary.

Highlight of the day will be the Zumba Dance Class Guinness World Record Attempt. Zumba is the new Latin-inspired fitness and dance craze sweeping the world,

and if we haven’t been bitten by the Zumba bug ourselves, we all know someone who has. Now is the time to register to participate in this record-breaking team. Everyone can take part (£10 per adult, £25 for family of four) and you’ll be helping to raise funds for Harris Hospiscare at the same time. www.harrishospiscare.org.uk/

Carnival events 5.30pm Magpie Dance Company

1.00pm Paraiso School of Samba An explosive start to the programme, from the Kings and Queens of Samba.

Acclaimed Bromley-based dance company present their first outdoor performance created in collaboration with artists from Re:Bourne, a piece inspired by Matthew Bourne's adaptation of Tim Burton fairy tale Edward Scissorhands.

1.40pm Capoeira by Capoeira Ceara Beautiful dance/martial art from Brazil from East London based company (pictured - plus see also this issue's kapow cover!)

3.15pm & 5.15 pm The Picnic a brand new open air dance theatre performance choreographed by Luca Silvestrini.

Award winning company, Protein, take a playful look at the very British pursuit of picnics.

Photo: Nicolai Amter

3.15pm Line Dancing with Primetime Join in the festival atmosphere

4.00pm Flamenco with Viva Flamenco Watch the professionals dance and then it's your turn!

4.40pm Bollywood Performance with Angel Dancers Ever wished you could dance like they do in Bollywood movies?

Watch how the professionals do it and then try some moves out yourself!

6.00pm Carnival Finale! Zumba An official Guinness World Record attempt for the largest Zumba Class.

Pre-register at harrishospiscare.org. uk/bigdance or come along on the day to the registration point to sign up. Please note that there will be a registration fee for this fundraiser..

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HAPPY DAD’S DAY!

F

ather’s Day will be upon us on 17 June so here are a few gift ideas, all available on the Triangle in the fresh summer air suburb.

Sherry-drinkers will enjoy La Panesa fino (£29.50) or if beer is the tipple of choice Meantime London Porter (£8.25) will hit the spot, both at Good Taste Food & Drink. You could even add a Lancashire Bomb cheese (£9.95) and create a hamper.

At Bookseller Crow you can lay your hands on Crystal Palace actor and writer Jason Maverick’s clever and funny little book Comic Verse for Men and Curious Women (£8.99) for dads who enjoy a rhyme or two.

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Hip dads will be thrilled to receive a new pair of Converse Hi-tops (£45) from Grand Bay – choose from a selection of colours – whilst the truly dapper will truly love these Thomas Pink cufflinks (£25 per pair) available at Et Pourquoi Pas?

You ladies out there probably already know about lovely REN products; they do excellent skincare for men too including Tamanu High Glide Shaving Oil (£16) and Multi-tasking After-shave Balm (£20), both of which you can pick up at Northwood Clinic. But as it’s 2*12, why not go for Team Transmitter’s favourite Father’s Day offering: dad would just LOVE a Sprinting Gnome in a GB vest, don’t you think?

Diving and cycling gnomes also available, all £9.99 each, from The Secret Garden.

Tu es HO N -F U E W ri 12 RS O -3 F P pm R E Sa OMNIN t& J G Su UL n Y! 12 -6 pm

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Handwoven from soft recycled cotton and machine washable, our rugs come in many beautiful colours and a range of styles and sizes.

We exquisite encaustic, We also also sell stock exquisite encausticceramic floor and tiles, mosaic tiles, both and reclaimed, both new andnew reclaimed, in in a variety of designs. a variety of designs.

Alhambra Home & Garden 148 Kirkdale London SE26 4BB Tel. 020-3417 6385 www.alhambrahome.co.uk www.alhambratiles.co.uk

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DANCING ON THE PEDALS

Transmitter cycling correspondent Bob Townley takes a sweaty spin around our new cycling hub

B

oy, that was hard! For the past hour I have been toiling up the famous Alpine cycling climb, the Col du Télégraphe, from the ‘comfort’ of a virtual reality turbo trainer at the new Cadence Performance Cycling Centre in Crystal Palace – nowhere near Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. I rode this climb for real in 1998 as part of one of the early ‘etape du tour’, the chance for have-a-go cyclists to ride a stage of the Tour de France.

The route that day also included a number of other Alpine giants and the Télégraphe was the hors d’oeuvre to the mighty Col du Galibier.

I wanted to see how the latest Tacx virtual reality turbo trainer would compare with the real thing. For those not in the know, a ‘turbo’ is a

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stationary device to which you attach your own bike. The virtual reality version allows you to ride a particular course or ‘climb’, in front of a tv screen showing the ride unfold in front of you. The computer-driven flywheel controls the resistance and gives the impression of riding the road for real. But here you also have stats (distance travelled, speed, gradient etc). You can ride solo, or compete against others – perfect for groups from cycling clubs – either in person or even, with the right synchronisation, somewhere else in the world!

Whilst you’re marvelling at the technology and wondering if you’re man or woman enough to give it a go, here’s a bit of background.

Cadence Performance is the

creation of Frank Beechinor and Ray Vella, two cyclists with a vision to bring together a range of cycling services within one space, in an area with a strong cycling community and a number of cycling clubs. It’s spacious and welcoming: the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, there’s somewhere to hang your bike inside and a great little café.

And you don’t have to be a cyclist to pop in (dogs and children also welcome says the sign).

If you are the kind of cyclist with an eye for ‘performance’, this place is for you. Cadence offers a bespoke bike-fitting service (using the innovative Retül system), a range of high quality cycle components (mostly for the ‘contact’ points) as well as nutrition products, cycling

books and magazines. There’s a workshop for repairs and servicing, a custom footbed service (to assist the all-important contact between foot and pedal) and other services including scientific sports testing (only normally available to the top level amateur or pro rider) and cycling-specific osteopathy, physiotherapy and coaching support. You can also join a (‘medium’ or ‘easy’) supervised, coach-led, ride into the Kent countryside on a Saturday.

But back to the Télégraphe. So here I was again, nearly 15 years later. The road really does look the same – even the house at the bottom where they were using a hosepipe to drench passing baked cyclists is there – and, guess what,

it felt just as hard (ok, it felt harder).

I was almost as hot, though the strategically-placed fans helped, and it is strangely gruelling. At times I felt slightly queasy, perhaps because it was my first go, and there is something a bit disconcerting about seeing the road in front of you, feeling the climb in your legs and yet knowing you’re not actually going anywhere. It’s more of a mental challenge than being out there in the Alps for real. Halfway through the 11.75km ride (775m of ascent, average gradient 6.6%, my average speed 12.03km/h) the manager, Des, noted that I was looking ‘a little pale’ and offered me some more water … but I made it to the top in just under an hour. It was a challenging and different training experience, costs only £10 per hour

and the print-out of stats I brought home with me make fascinating reading. I’d rather be cycling in the crisp Alpine mountains (who wouldn’t), but this fresh air suburb alternative isn’t bad!

Cadence Cycling Performance Centre 2a Anerley Hill, London SE19 2AA 020 8676 8825 www.cadenceperformance.com

19

BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES

BOY RACER If you want to know what it’s like being a competing sportsman, Carl Ferri writes an informative blog on the website of Blue Door Bicycles, sponsors of the local duathlete.

This year’s season is already on its way, and Carl has started well winning a duathlon event held at the 2012 Rowing Centre, Dorney Lake, in blustery April conditions.

At Rutland Water in March, he finished 19th overall (in a field of 800) in the British National Duathlon championships.

Most recently, Carl won gold in his age group (coming 6th overall) in the English National Duathlon Championships held in the Peak District. The course comprised a 12k undulating run, followed by a 40k bike course (with a climb up the infamous Middleton Top), and a 4k run to finish.

‘The Ashbourne Duathlon rounded off a good early season for me,’ he says ‘and with my main goal achieved I am now going to turn my attention to having some fun racing the fab VO2 bike [supplied by Blue Door Bicycles] in some local crits and road races’.

Throughout the summer you can see Carl competing in the local Tuesday evening criterium races in Crystal Palace Park. Weather permitting! www.bluedoorbicycles.com

CP Triathlon On 20 May, Crystal Palace Triathletes hosted its 7th annual event at Crystal Palace Park.

Want to get in training for next year? Club chairman John Petrides talks us through the basics

training days every April, where we familiarise them with the routes, show them where to rack their bikes. If they come along to one of those, they won’t feel like novices on the day.

What is a triathlon?

How fit do I have to be?

A race where participants swim, cycle and run, in that order, for different distances. The race at Crystal Palace had 700 adults and more than 200 children and juniors taking part. In 2010 we were voted British triathlon event of the year.

Anyone can do a triathlon if they’re reasonably fit. It depends on what you want to achieve.

In the junior categories, about 60% of the children compete seriously, the rest just have fun taking part.

How much does it cost?

What does it involve?

First a fast-lane swim of exactly 750m – or 15 lengths – in the 50m pool. Then on the bike for 20km, 9 laps of the park’s old Formula 3 track, and finally a 5km run around the athletics track.

Are the three sections organised as separate races?

No – the idea is to race from one event to the next.

That sounds like a mad scramble in the changing rooms ..

Some participants swim in their tri suits and some have their shoes clipped on to their bikes, which are racked and waiting at the transition site, so they’re ready to go. They grab their bikes and they’re straight off.

Can novices have a go?

About 50% of our entrants are novices. We offer novice

20

£36 for adults. We’ve had a small increase of £1 this year, to cover a charitable donation to the Jack Boericke Foundation.

Jack was a promising young triathlete who won one of our junior events last year. He died of an aneurysm at just 16.

What might I win?

Everyone gets a medal, and we have prizes for the top three winners in each category.

And there’s a goody bag – our sponsors are generous.

How do I sign up?

There’s a huge appetite for our triathlon, so the best thing is to check out our website for details of next year’s event and sign up quick! www.crystalpalace-tri.co.uk

BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES BIKES sarah edmonds CHECKS OUT THE LOCAL PEDAL PEDDLERS

W

ith a summer of sport on the horizon now is the time to get some exercise, and cycling is the perfect way to do so! Crystal Palace is lucky enough to be home to two independent bike shops – Blue Door Bicycles and Popiel Cycles, both of which offer a good choice of bikes, accessories and excellent expert knowledge.

bikes at Popiel Cycles are handmade – Wotjek is keen to emphasise that they do not stock mass produced bikes, nor focus on trends or fashion; instead he says ‘we have a more practical approach to cycling as an enjoyable daily activity for everyone.’

I spoke to David Hibbs of Blue Door Bicycles and Wotjek Popiel of Popiel Cycles to find out about their stores and see what cycling advice they had to offer.

The premises of Blue Door Bicycles on Central Hill has been serving the community as a bike shop since the 1920s. When David Hibbs took over at the beginning of 2011 he worked hard to preserve the buildings cycling heritage (see www. centralcycle.co.uk), he says, ‘I think it is nicer to shop somewhere with a bit of real character reflecting the history of a place - not made up character invented in a corporate HQ - so keeping some aspects of the old shop fits with this philosophy.’ David’s philosophy certainly makes for a welcoming shopping environment, one which is heightened by the expertise of the staff and mechanics who are always on hand to give friendly advice.

The store stocks a wide range of bikes including carbon road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids, folders and electrics, and caters for a broad spectrum of customers’ abilities and needs. Whether cycle commuters, toddlers or triathletes, Blue Door Bicycles’ aim is to treat everyone with respect - even if their knowledge or budget is limited.

Cycling is not only a way to get some exercise and avoid stressful rush hour commutes, as David points out, ‘this is our community and we would like to see more people on their bikes as it helps our local environment. Everyone working in the shop rides bikes to a greater or lesser degree and if our fellow citizens ride too this helps make cycling safer for all of us.’

Blue Door Bicycles’ advice for new cyclists is, ‘Relax! Riding a bike is not rocket science and whilst there are real dangers out on the road (sadly), it is not the carnage on the roads you may imagine. If you are unsure about road safety - get some lessons. If you live in Croydon or Lambeth these are free (see our website www.bluedoorbicycles.com for links to the scheme or call at the shop for a card).’

Popiel Cycles on Westow Street is owned by Wotjek Popiel and specialises in Dutch bikes. Wotjek has always been a keen cyclist and after falling in love with Dutch brands such as Gazelle, Koga, Batavus, Sparta he decided to promote and sell them in London.

The bike shop is a very personal project to Wotjek and he feels passionate about the bikes he stocks, ‘Dutch bikes have something more to offer. We sell top Dutch bikes only because we are fascinated by the unique character, style, design and quality.’

Wotjek is a firm believer that cycling is for everyone, and a well fitted bike is essential to the enjoyment of all his customers. His advice for new cyclists is to seriously consider what you want from the bike because different activities demand different equipment, ‘it is a very individual choice and should be made carefully. We will always encourage people to buy good quality bikes that are comfortable and low maintenance.’ Whatever reason you have for cycling, there are some amazing sights to see both within and around London, Wotjek recommends cycling in our very own Crystal Palace Park as well as attempting some slightly more extreme mountain biking further afield – the perfect opportunity for him to try out his new Koga mountain bike!

Blue Door Bicycles, Central Hill, Crystal Palace SE19 Popiel Cycles, Westow Street, Crystal Palace SE19

The motto of Popiel Cycles is ‘believe in better cycling’, which means offering customers expert professional advice and only the best products available. Most of the

21

it's going to get hot in this house crystal palace local WESTOW HOUSE IS SERVING UP A SUMMER OF FUN. ALEX FOWLER INVESTIGATES...

I

t looks like it is going to be another big summer at Westow House. Once again, the pub will be official sponsors of this year’s Overground Festival which takes place from 13-16 June.

Westow House is synonymous with Crystal Palace and is a big part of the local community. 'We do see ourselves very much as a community pub so we are always looking to put back into the community where we can' says general manager Justin Hutton.

Westow House has always been at the centre of the Overground Festival, with last year seeing the venue's biggest ever events. And this year they are aiming to make it bigger and better than ever before. The Overground Festival will coincide with their famous Ale and Cider festival, where there will

22

be eight (count 'em!) ale firkins and six cider firkins outside with a further 25 on rotation inside.

So for ale and cider enthusiasts, or for those just looking to try something new, there is sure to be plenty on offer.

As well as the ale and cider there will be live music all through the weekend. Boom Boom Booms kick things off on the Friday with their raucous brand of rockabilly, then on Saturday it’s the turn of jazz man Emile Gerber and Rhys Lewis & The Relics. Smoke Feathers bring a distinct reggae flavour to proceedings on the Saturday, along with ‘psychobilly’ band Whiskey Moon Face and ska rockers Hipster Ray. The weekend then winds down with an afternoon of acoustic acts on the Sunday while people nurse

their hangovers. And, of course, there will be food. Lots and lots of food. The barbecue will be serving burgers and sausages all weekend and there will be a hog roast on the Saturday.

But summer at the Westow doesn’t stop after the festival.

For sports fans, there will be live screenings of matches all through Euro 2012 and the pub will be showing Olympic events. You can even see the Olympic torch go past on 23 July!

There will also be plenty of live music, an outdoor bar and excellent food all summer long so whether you’re a rocker, a footy fan, a foodie or just enjoy a drink in the sun; Westow House looks like being the hotspot of the summer!

23

VOX POP

Photos by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

David Rees

David Mitchell

Mary McWalters

Lives in Beckenham

Visiting the park

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Yes and no. Getting a bit bored by some of the hype that surrounds it.

Do you know, I wasn't until I saw the lighting of the beacon this morning and the start of the torch tour.

I am.

What's your must-see event?

Yes. I have started coming to a boot camp here in the park.

What's your must-see event?

The track cycling, and I'm going to see the men's mountain bike near Southend.

Is there a mountain in Southend?

They've made quite a good crosscountry course down there!

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

Not really. I was already quite active.

Did you get any tickets?

Yes. For the Mountain Biking.

Swimming and cycling.

Who is your favourite *l*mp*c athlete?

I really like Mark Cavendish, he is doing The Tour de France and all the tours, but not sure if he is doing the track events this year

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

Not especially

Did you get any tickets?

No.

24

Lives in Lewisham and comes to Crystal Palace Park to get fit!

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

Did you get any tickets?

Yes. 800 metres mens' final, dressage at Greenwich, boxing and beach volleyball at Horseguards.

And some Paralympics tickets too.

We aren't having a holiday this year, we are staying in London instead!

*l*m p*cs

Brad Greer

Jacqueline Rice

Alex Fontaine

Lives in Crystal Palace, trains at Duke McKenzie's boxing Gym

Lives in Crystal Palace and works at Duke McKenzie's boxing Gym

Ice cream seller in Crystal Palace Park

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Are you excited about the *l*mp*cs?

Yes.

Yes, very, yes

Yes. I think it's pretty good.

What's your must-see event?

What's your must-see event?

What's your must-see event?

100m and 200m. I think that will be interesting especially with Usain Bolt.

None particular I want to see all of it!

The running one with Usain Bolt.

Who is your favourite *l*mp*c athlete?

As much as has been said about Dwain Chambers. I do respect him.

Right now he could have given up with everything that happened. But he didn't and look where it got him, it got him back.

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

Yes, I think it is also bringing more people to the gym

Did you get any tickets?

No couldn't afford them.

Who is your favourite *l*mp*c athlete?

No-one in particular, there are too many.

Have you been inspired by the *l*mp*cs?

I used to do sport but I am too old for it now! I used to do weight lifting, boxing and martial arts.

Did you get any tickets?

No.

Yes. I play rugby and they are introducing 7 a side rugby for 2016 so that gives me an incentive and I have something to aim for!

Did you get any tickets?

No.

25

Animal lights, LCDP bodycare, Rococo chocolates, Alex Monroe jewellery, hand-made pieces from British craftsmen, unusual & vintage homewares

4o Westow Street SEI9 3AH O2O 877I 55I7 www.smashbangwallop.co.uk

Open days 10am-1pm Saturday 22 September 9.30am-11am Wednesday 3 October Tuesday 9 October Thursday 8 November Monday 12 November 020 8557 7000 www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net admissions@syd.gdst.net 15 Westwood Hill London SE26 6BL

26

Festival listings 13 June 2012

15 June 2012

Church Road Market

Black Sheep Bar

Gipsy Hill Workshops

7:30 - 11pm Flex that creative mojo at the Fledgling Arts Collective and Alternative Angles Review magazine launch featuring acoustic, spoken word and open mic night

4 – 9pm Art exhibition with live music.

For more info contact joanna.charlotte@yahoo.co.uk

10am – 6pm Basically if you are after something in particular, chances are it is here. Furniture, vintage clothing, retro home-ware, books, comics and great coffee!

Gipsy Hill Tavern

fortyseven

9:30pm – late (after England v Sweden), free entry The Severed Limb – “The best skiffle band in the world!” Gaz Mayall. Full details at facebook.com/gipsyhilltavern

11am – 6pm fortyseven are hosting a tea party to celebrate the festival. Come and join the bunfight as there will be 10% off their wonderful spring/summer fashion collections

Westow House

10am - 6pm Art exhibition with live music and drop-in art classes – for more information contact joanna.charlotte@yahoo.co.uk

Gipsy Hill Tavern 8pm Festival opening swing party with Fascinating Rhythm - Local jazz big band plays all kinds of jazz including swing, blues, jazz-rock, gospel-style and Latin American

14 June 2012

Crystal Palace FC @ Westow Park Football coaching skills for kids and young people 5 - 6pm 5 to 8 year olds 6 - 7pm 9 to 12 year olds 7 - 8pm 13 to 18 year olds

Gipsy Hill Tavern 9.30pm – late (after Ireland v Spain), free entry Homebrood – Irish folk at its best from this very talented Croydon group, inspired by Sharon Shannon, Blazing Fiddles, The Bothy Band, Dublin City Ramblers, to name but a few. Full details at facebook.com/gipsyhilltavern

Westow House 8:30pm The Boom Boom Booms

BBQ, Ale and Cider Festival, England V Sweden (Euro 2012) 5:30pm Emile Gerber 6:30pm Rhys Lewis and the Relics 10pm DJ Oliver Sudden

Gipsy Hill Workshops

Phoenix Centre’s Garden Fayre

16 June 2012

11am – 5pm Palace’s favourite market and unmissable refreshment with all day breakfasts

The Triangle

The Secret Garden

Antenna Studios 12 – 6pm (Sat & Sun) Open studios weekend – visit www.antennastudios. co.uk for more information

Art Market @ Victory Place 9:30am – 5:30pm Buy affordable art direct from the artists. For more information re: submissions etc. please go to www.biggerpicturegallery.co.uk

9am – 6pm You don’t have to be a gardener to enjoy The Secret Garden.

Discover wood-carver Rossi Masters; Hazel Dean from Camden market with unusual decorative items from around the world; Green Man wall plaques by the Kent sculptor Niki Base; quality second-hand books; the best range of greetings cards in Crystal Palace; fresh apple juice from the Brogdale orchards in Kent and, of course, everything you need for your garden. The Secret Garden, the garden centre at the heart of Crystal Palace

16 June 2012 CONT.

The White Hart

Domali

From 12pm great food and drink all day and night 8pm DJs and live music

7 – 8pm Topaz will be playing duets on a European, American and south American theme – played on violin, accordion and clarinet

Gipsy Hill Tavern 7pm – late, free entry The Skanx + The Cracked + beer garden DJ South London’s fav 9-piece ska and funk band, infectious Jamaican beats and brass with influences from jazz, funk and dub, infused with a healthy sense of humour. Full details at facebook.com/gipsyhilltavern

The Grape and Grain 6 – 8pm The Sax Pastilles featuring Natty Bo – 1920s jazz 9 – 11pm The Twilighters – 1950s rock’n’roll

The Royal Albert 7pm BBQ till late 9pm Blues Hammer (blues)

The Sparrowhawk From 12pm BBQ and ice cream We will be serving our legendary burgers and homemade ice creams from our garden

Westow House BBQ, Hog Roast, Ale and Cider Festival and outdoor bar 5:30pm Smoke Feathers 6:30pm Whiskey Moon Face 7:30pm The Hipster Ray 9pm DJ Jonny Bolax Sunday 17 June Traditional roast lunch, live music, Ale and Cider Festival continues

Westow Park

Antenna music stage

4:45pm 4:45pmElia Eliaand andthe theLow LowTears Tears Fresh, Fresh,boundaries-stomping boundaries-stompingalt altsoul soulthat that makes you want to rub against trees makes you want to rub against trees inappropriately inappropriately 5:30pm 5:30pmThe TheSkanx Skanx Infectious InfectiousJamaican Jamaicanbeats beatsand andbrass brass with influences from jazz, funk and with influences from jazz, funk anddub, dub, infused infusedwith withaahealthy healthysense senseofofhumour humour

AATaste TasteofofSE19 SE19

Music styling by Mama Sutra Music DJ MAMA SUTRA - MAMA SUTRA MUSIC Styling out some tunes in between the bands www.mamasutramusic.com

MAMASUTRA_MUSIC

11:00 Special guest to be announced 11:30am Kimberly Anne Known for recording/broadcasting live demos and events from her bedroom in south east London, she is truly handmade in every sense of the word 12:15pm Manzana Tropical Exciting new Latin act playing Chicha, Peruvian Cumbia, Latin 1pm John Blood and the Highlys Roots, calypso – all kinda ting 1:45pm The Hipster Ray An irresistible combination of ska, punk and a whole lot more is underpinned by genuinely good songwriting 2:30pm The Lovebirds It’s a little bit country, it’s a little bit rock n roll!

3pm Jim Bob Carter USM lead man and author welcomes you to the festival 3:15pm Daytona Lights Shoe-groove five piece from London who deliver thoughtful and intelligent, upbeat pop 4pm Heads Hearts Hard-faced, soul-hearted, electro-rock

1pm 1pmRachel Rachelde deThample Thample–– healthy burgers demonstration healthy burgers demonstration 1:35pm 1:35pmYuki YukiofofYuki’s Yuki’sKitchen Kitchen–– Japanese and sushi demonstration Japanese and sushi demonstration 2:10pm 2:10pmJayne JayneofofSupernourished Supernourished–– raw food kitchen and raw food kitchen andsuperfood superfoodsalad salad demo demo 2:45pm 2:45pmManish ManishofofGood GoodTaste Taste–– cheese cheeseand andbeer beertasting tasting 3:40pm Yuki of Yuki’s 3:40pm Yuki of Yuki’sKitchen Kitchen–– Japanese Japaneseand andsushi sushidemonstration demonstration 4:15pm Jayne of Supernourished 4:15pm Jayne of Supernourished–– decadent decadentraw rawdesserts dessertsdemonstration demonstration 4:50pm Matt Walls – 4:50pm Matt Walls – bling blingvsvsbargain bargainwine winetasting tasting Local Localfood foodwriter writerand andcook cookRachel Rachelde de Thample will be demonstrating a healthy Thample will be demonstrating a healthy burger burgerrecipe recipefrom fromher herbook bookLess LessMeat, Meat, More Veg, a book that’s even got the More Veg, a book that’s even got the most mostcommitted committedcarnivores carnivorestototrim trimdown down ononthe meat and eat more veg the meat and eat more veg @dethample @dethample Yuki Yukifrom fromYuki’s Yuki’skitchen, kitchen,will willbebe demonstrating simple sushi making demonstrating simple sushi makingand and explain explainhow howtotouse useJapanese Japaneseingredients ingredients alongside alongsidefood foodsourced sourcedlocally. locally.Yuki Yuki isisaatrained trainedJapanese Japanesechef chefbased basedinin Crystal CrystalPalace, Palace,who whoteaches teachesJapanese Japanese home homecookery cookeryclasses classesfor forthe thecomplete complete beginner or the seasoned chef beginner or the seasoned cheflooking looking totoexpand expandtheir theirskills skills www.yukiskitchen.com www.yukiskitchen.com

Nutritional therapist Jayne Totty of Supernourished will be demonstrating some raw food delights. Her first demo will be an introduction to setting up a basic raw food kitchen and how you can make salads even healthier with the addition of some super-nourishing ingredients. Later in the afternoon she will demonstrate some deliciously healthy raw desserts www.supernourished.com Manish Utton-Mishra owns a small cheese shop in the heart of Crystal Palace which sells some beautiful British and Continental cheeses and charcuterie, alongside an amazing range of beers and wines. Manish will be demonstrating the joys of properly brewed beer, on their own, and in combination with all sorts of foods such as cheese www.goodtaste-fd.co.uk To round off the day in the Taste of SE19 tent, local wine writer Matt Walls will be running a Bling vs. Bargain wine tasting. He’ll be opening a few bottles from famous wine regions and comparing them with some more obscure, cheaper ones in the hope of digging out some hidden gems www.mattwalls.co.uk

Performing arts circle

Healing area

11am Richard Scott – poetry 12pm Third Curve Theatre Company presents Love, Life and Creaky Knees! Third Curve Theatre Company is a drama group for elders. The ethos of the group is to dispel the stereotypical view of older people.

1:30pm The Dance Room does Zumba!

2:15pm Stuart Packer is a storyteller who brings The Ditch, for kids 11 to 111 years old, to the festival. From the heart, The Ditch is a head trip with a soulful message for 2012. Someone called it mesmerising @stuartpacker 3pm Théâtre Libre presents Journeys Home – a showcase of three short comedies by three new writers. Public transport is a huge part of London life.

These sketches explore the concepts of making connections, the journey itself, and what it means to be HOME. Get on track and come get a taste of what the London fringe scene has to offer with these poignant and witty romps! Part missed connections, part misunderstandings, all funny.

Produced by: Théâtre Libre. Written by: Shane Callaghan, Hayley Goggin and Michael Sands. Directed by: Kaitlin Argeaux, Jules Tipton, and El West 4pm Beyond Words offer an evolving blend of poetry, music and the spoken word and artists who perform to their own visuals too.

The Little Escape is a holistic therapy centre in Crystal Palace for your mind and body. A wide range of treatments and therapies to support your journey to health and happiness. Child and parent friendly and disability friendly.

Treat yourself to a little escape! We look forward to seeing you www.thelittleescape.com The Osteopath We care about the whole person and aim to diagnose the cause of pain not just treat symptoms.

Come to The Osteopath’s stall for a free spinal assessment and discount treatment vouchers or visit www.the-osteopath.co.uk Crystal Palace Osteopaths and Natural Therapies will be in the healing area of the Westow Park. Take time out in our relaxation zone. Join in our taster workshops in laughing yoga and relaxation. Find information and advice on osteopathy and natural therapies. Enjoy taster aromatherapy, deep tissue massage and reflexology. Free purple balloons! www.crystalpalaceosteopaths.co.uk

Festival food court Visit our gourmet stalls and indulge in a smorgasbord of food including: the best coffee, ice-cream and cakes, tartiflette from France, Austrian, Venezuelan, South African and Caribbean food, pancakes, homemade pizza, hog roast, amazing burgers, vintage tea rooms, deli goods such as meat pies and sausage rolls, not to mention oysters and prosecco!

Kids’ arts workshops 12:30pm Alex Milway is a children’s author whose books include the Mousehunter and the Mythical 9th Division series about yetis www.alexmilway.com 2pm Little Gems Dance & Theatre Company Come and join the team for a free drama and dance lesson.

Little Gems is run by young, local professionals for young, local children.

They run a Saturday school at Sydenham High School as well as holiday clubs and after school clubs www.littlegemsdance.co.uk 3pm Rising Stars Workshop (ages 3-5yrs) 3:20pm Junior Jazz Workshop (ages 6-12yrs) TEAM (Theatre Entertainment Arts and Music) offers affordable yet professional tap, ballet and jazz classes from 2.5 years in Gipsy Hill/Crystal Palace. As a school we are excited to be offering all children aged 3-12yrs who are visiting the festival to come and join in our two 20 minute free dance workshops. These jazz workshops will consist of a fun and energetic routine that combines funky moves with the latest tunes www.bepartoftheteam.co.uk 4pm Sarwat Chadda is a children’s author who writes cracking adventure stories. His books include the Devil’s Kiss, and Ash Mistry & the Savage Fortress http://ashmistry.com/

4:30pm BTEC Year Dance students from Kingston College perform MIX IT UP! – a selection of fun, upbeat dance pieces. Kingston College offers a range of performing arts vocational courses in dance, musical theatre, acting and production with strong links with industry professionals and an in-house professional theatre venue.

Call for more information 020 8268 2749 or visit www.kingston-college.ac.uk 5pm Gary Northfield makes funny comics, and is best known for Derek the Sheep, a strip which featured in the Beano www.garynorthfield.co.uk 5:30pm Stuart Packer is a storyteller who brings The Ditch, for kids 5 to 10 years old, to the festival. From the heart, The Ditch is a head trip with a soulful message for 2012. Someone called it mesmerising @stuartpacker

Crystal Palace Transition Town Don’t miss the fantastic Transition Town stand where you will experience: • edible garden tours • kids’ activities • a cookery demo • bicycle-powered smoothies • a Fairtrade raffle.

Activities for kids and adults alike including garden tours and a treasure hunt. Information on the edible bus stop and other local food and growing initiatives. Maps highlighting local businesses that have made an effort to source their wares from sustainable and Fairtrade sources. Recycled CPTT t-shirts www.crystalpalacetransition.org.uk

Festival bars As well as our main festival bar serving beers and artisan ciders, the Alley Cats Cocktail Lounge’s bunch of mad mixologists and table service lizards will be formulating heady tipples and making that hangover even more likely!

Arts and crafts stalls Come shopping at our market – vintage clothes, jewellery, henna art, natural products, art works, bunting and pops, knitwear, toys, homeware, handmade chocolates, fabrics, t-shirts and posters.

Exercise stalls Miracle Fitness and Training Points, our local exercise gurus, show you how to keep fit, look good and kick ass! www.miraclefitness.co.uk www.trainingpoints.co.uk

Other activities Bouncy castle, kids’ games, community stalls and art installations

Open days 10am-1pm Saturday 6 October 9.30am-11am Wednesday 19 September Thursday 11 October Friday 9 November Tuesday 13 November 020 8557 7000 www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net admissions@syd.gdst.net 19 Westwood Hill London SE26 6BL

31

First class ticket to Rio

BY RACHEL DE THAMPLE

Photos: Dan Worth Photography

Celebrate the Brazilian team’s residence in Crystal Palace by imbibing a few glasses of fruity Rio-themed drinks.

32

Cucumber Caipirinha

Pineapple Cooler

Almond Colada

Serves 4 • 2 lemons, juiced • 2 limes, juiced • 4 tbsp organic cane sugar • 4-inch hunk of cucumber, grated • 100ml cachaça or dark rum* • Large handful of fresh mint • Large handful of ice

Serves 4 • 1 medium pineapple, peeled and cut into smallish cubes 100ml water • Seeds from a vanilla pod • Handful of fresh basil, mint and/or coriander leaves • Handful of ice • 100ml cachaça or dark rum*

Serves 4 • 200g almonds, roughly chopped* • 400ml water • 200ml coconut milk • 2 frozen bananas, roughly chopped • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the lemon juice, lime juice, sugar, and cucumber in a martini shaker, including the lime peels.

Add the cachaça/rum, mint and ice. Cover and shake vigorously.

Strain into cocktail glasses or a jug and garnish with slices of cucumber and fresh mint.

Tumble pineapple in blender with the herbs, water and vanilla. Puree until smooth.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing as much juice out of the solids as you can. (You don’t need the remaining bits in the sieve for the cocktail but don’t let them go to waste – they’re lovely swirled through yogurt for breakfast).

Fill 4 glasses with ice then add 2 tbsp rum to each glass.

Stir in pineapple mixture.

Serve. *For non-alcoholic drinks, substitute apple juice for the rum.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the nuts. Toast until fragrant and just golden.

Pop in a food processor. Blitz until finely ground. Slowly add the water in until it looks like a frothy, light brown milk.

Strain using a fine-mesh sieve. (You won’t need the remaining nutty hunks but they can easily be reemployed by adding them to a biscuit or muffin mix.).

Pour the nutty milk into the food processor with the coconut milk and chopped frozen banana. Whip up until smooth. Swirl in the cinnamon.

Pour into glasses.

*Swap with tonic water for a Virgin Caipirinha.

*If you don’t fancy making your own almond milk, you can buy it premade at Planta (use 400ml for this recipe). Or, just use regular cow’s or soy milk.

33

A shop full of books that you might want to read

A NEW TYPE OF

CYCLIST

HANGOUT! C YC L I S T S ’ C A F É n V O 2 M A X T E S T I N G LACTATE THRESHOLD TEST n BIKE FITTING TURBO TRAINING n CYCLE COACHING CUSTOM FOOTBEDS n SHOP & WORKSHOP ALL IN ONE CYCLIST-FRIENDLY LOCATION

We now offer kiddies cycling parties – call for details

Cadence Cycling Performance Centre 2a Anerley Hill Crystal Palace London SE19 2AA Tel: 020 8767 8825 (Just at the top of Anerley Hill)

www.CadencePerformance.com

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half page vertical.indd 1

31/05/2012 07:30

Photos: www.clareelliott.com

T

HIGH FLYERS

here is something so engaging about trapeze artists: such strength yet their poise so elegant, that sense of romance. Believe it or not, it’s very easy to get involved. If you’ve ever looked up at the high wires and wished that daring and glamorous artist up there was you, read on.

available. Anyone with a reasonable level of day to day fitness and an average body shape can do aerial work: it’s not an activity that actively promotes weight loss but it is excellent for toning. It doesn’t demand ultra-athleticism, but you will require determination and resilience.

The delightfully-named My Aerial Home (MAH) offers training spaces in Beckenham and Bromley. With excellent facilities and a strong belief in inclusivity, it provides a friendly opportunity for anyone who is inspired to have a go to experience aerial dance and circus.

A variety of reasons have drawn in the current eclectic group of participants – including office workers, psychiatric nurses, dancers, funeral directors – as the discipline ticks many boxes from being a fun activity to seriously-challenging fitness training and a route to boosting self-confidence.

Once you’ve got to grips with the language of aerial movement, it can become an important part of your life. Amanda Miles - onetime professional dancer with 25 years’ experience of the creative industries and founder of MAH in 2009 – explains: ‘It is really good for relaxing after work as it allows you to clear the mind; it’s an active meditation as you have to focus on the task in hand rather than other thoughts. What starts off for many as an alternative route to fitness often becomes a way of expressing individuality and creativity.’

taking part in a trial for registered charity Status Employment, offering trapeze classes to aid the long-term unemployed coping with depression. It has also been approached by Council authorities investigating how the teaching of aerial skills to 14-19 year old young men can help with personal development and feelings of wellbeing.

Amanda believes wholeheartedly in the MAH motto: Beauty through Strength. As well as training many corporate organisations for their own inhouse productions, MAH is also

PS The school is currently on a quest for exclusive premises in order to open full time. If you know of a local large hall between 6.5m and 9m high MAH would love to hear from you.

There are lots of regular weekly group classes available from ‘tryout’ nights and absolute beginners sessions, to trapeze, rope, and silk classes. Private classes are also

For more information go to www.myaerialhome.co.uk

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FLYING FASHION GIRLS FROM MY AERIAL HOME IN PENGE TAKE TO THE AIR IN VINTAGE STYLE

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Amelia on hoop

PHOTOGRAPHY Andy Pontin STYLING Jade Maclaine HAIR & MAKE-UP Erika Toth CHOREOGRAPHY Amanda Miles

Cream lace 1950s jump suit £30 Vien, cream cashmere 1950s cardigan £40, beige vintage crossover shoes £20, both www.hawkanddovevintage.com.

Gold cluster necklace £148, gold teapot necklace £132, both Smash Bang Wallop Hair clip, ring and stockings stylist's own

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Amelia on trapeze Little white gloves £14, white fur stole POA, both Cenci. Brooch £19 and bracelet £17, both South of the River. Blue fascinator £10 Carol Almedia at Haynes Lane Market.

Deep V vintage 1980s black dress £35 www.hawkanddovevintage.com

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Barbara on silk Black pantsuit £30 Vintagehart, necklace £25, brooch £12, hat £15 all at www.hawkanddovevintage.com

39

Rebecca on hoop Vintage 1970s black dress with diamanté-trim cape £45, shoes £20 both www.hawkanddovevintage. com.Handmade red felt hat £55

by Dawn for Vintagehart. Ring £14 South of the River. Tights stylist's own

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Barbara on trapeze Red silk satin coat by Karen Millen £25 Living Water Satisfies. Fur stole £120 Cenci, black net hat £12 www.hawkanddovevintage.com.

Bracelet £17 South of the River, brooch £7 Mary at Haynes Lane Market, tights stylist's own.

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Stockists Cenci 4 Nettlefold Place SE27 0JW Haynes Lane Market Haynes Lane SE19 3AN Living Water Satisfies Church Road SE19 2TA South of the River 56 Westow Street SE19 3AF Smash Bang Wallop 40 Westow Street SE19 3AH Vien 87 Church Road SE19 2TA Vintagehart 96 Church Road SE19 2EZ

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Rebecca on silk Black corset £16 Cenci, white fascinator £10 Carol Almedia at Haynes Lane Market, black shift skirt £15 www.hawkanddovevintage.com.

Silver teapot necklace £120, silver lily earrings £120 both Smash Bang Wallop.

Bracelet £17 South of the River

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MORE CHEESE PLEESE Manish Utton-Mishra CONTINUES HIS CHEESY HISTORY of...cheese

P

reviously I talked briefly about the ‘discovery’ of cheese. This issue let’s look at its spread. (boom boom!- Ed) The direct evidence for cheese begins with the Ancient Egyptians around 3000BC, with the discovery of cheese in an early monarch’s tomb.

Similarly and around the same time the Sumerian civilisation was flourishing in southern Iraq. Sumerian literature has included direct references to some cheeses, especially in lists of food: ‘white cheese’, ‘fresh cheese’, ‘rich cheese’, ‘sharp cheese’, and a few others, making up a total of about 20 distinct types and flavours of cheese.

Ancient Hittite writings have shown that cheese could be large or small, fresh, pressed, broken, torn, dry and old. Such adjectives are more important, not for their actual descriptions, but for their indication of the scale of varieties of cheese made.

Moving more westwards, at a settlement on the Greek island of Therasia, at a settlement buried by the 1627BC eruption of the volcano Santorini, archaeologists have found a grey substance believed to be cheese. However, much of Greece is poor cattle-raising country, so the majority of cheese made would have been from goats’ and sheeps’ milk.

In the Iliad, Nestor was revived after a busy day at the siege of Troy by a posset made of grated cheese and wine!

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During Roman times, Greece continued to make large quantities of cheese, particularly in the northern mountains and the islands, from where the Romans discovered it and took it as their own. So, we have moved westwards again. In the Roman Empire a feast was not complete without ‘caseus’ (cheese) as it was a luxury.

Post 1500AD, as international trade increased, we have increasing evidence of the rest of Europe, including the UK, producing larger quantities of cheese and also exporting vast quantities of it.

The Roman Empire fostered trade in goods throughout the Mediterranean, thus spreading the good news of cheese even further west. However, one must remember that even though cheese was probably produced all over Europe prior to the Roman Empire in some form or other there is no evidence of it.

Such western and central European countries continued to produce cheese through medieval times.

As available information increases we find that Italy, France and Switzerland have become very large producers and, crucially, exporters of cheese, a position these countries have retained to the modern day.

Remember, cheese is just milk’s journey towards immortality!

In the next issue I shall pick this story up but focus on specific cheeses.

Until next time cheese lovers!

Manish

DEN OF GREEK

MICHAEl EYRE GOES BACK TO WHERE THIS *l**p*c stuff got started

I

’ve got four years stuck on my eyes. It seems like only yesterday that we were shoutin’ n’ a hollerin’ for our lads/ lasses to be bringing home the bacon or indeed some medals, of any colour. So here we are again but now in our own fair and public transport- friendly city.

Hoorah!

Meanwhile, during the ensuing mayhem, I thought we could pop back to the origins of sporting excellence with this somewhat small but perfectly formed selection of wines.

Etsi, gia na pame.

(Phonetically speaking).

I thought we could kick the day off with a little ‘blood sugar raiser’.

Samos Vin doux 2011 Grape : Muscat Samos 35cl 15%vol £5.25 Green & Blue A colour of deep honeyed yellow pretty much says it all from the (triple) jump. There will be a certain amount of weight in this one. As the nose enters the first corner it is regaled with aromas of dried fruit, orange blossom and rose petals, three of one’s five a day, I’d say. Fosbury flopping on to the palate there are notes of raisins and honeyed lemon with a hint of green tea around the edge giving it a fulsome yet refreshing flavour. Finally, storming home for a long, gold and succulent finish. Ace gear, in my opinion.

Food: all puds (shurely not), cheeses and possibly some charcuterie. Or just by its lonesome self ‘cos you can. Yum.

Xerolithia 2010 Grape: Vilana Peza, Crete 75cl 13%vo. £9.00 Oddbins Straight into the glass there is a colour of bright yellowy green indicating a nose of fresh, fragrant and fabulous aromas of citrus fruits that are as sharp as a javelin with a mild undercurrent of exotic bananas and mango.

The palate, smooth as a discus, flows along with a continuation of the citrus theme in a bigger, riper more concentrated way.

This, in turn, passes the baton on to a beautiful finish imbued with an excellent balance of fruit and acidity.

Transformational drinking.

Food: Pretty much anything you want really.

Light meats, moussaka (meat or veg) cheeses, fish stylie stuff. The lot.

As Janice Nicholls would say ‘Oi’ll give it foive’ (interlocking rings. OK, enough of the Olympic stuff already).

Mirambelo 2009 Grape: Kotsifali & Mandilaria Peza, Crete 75cl 13%vol £9.2. Oddbins Sitting atop the Parthenon (like what one does) the sun reflects off the shiny ruby colour of this particular piece of work.

I can see a good long lunch setting in, as the aromas of vanilla and tobacco waft and weave their way in my direction.

The palate is filled with spice as hefty as a kleftiko combined with bright, tangy, savoury notes of green herbs, maraschino cherries and black anise.

Held together by a tannic structure as firm as a set of parallel bars and finally piling on relentlessly to a long, earthy finish that is as robust as a shot-putter.

Unbeatable.

Food: All the faves. Spicy meats/veg. Cheese.

Lunch.

Jeez! All this sport is enough to drive a man to drink. I’m exhausted.

Ta leme.

Michael

45

CLIMBING THE GREASY POLE TO GARDENING SUCCESS ‌ ‌ and other *l**p*an themes from Sue Williams

A

tenuous link to this sporting edition but climbers are the subject for this Palace Patch.

Climbers are in my view the most versatile of plant groups and nowhere more so than in our hilly and vertiginous Norwood landscape. They can supply the horticultural wherewithal to clothe ugly walls and fences in glorious colour; they can be grown on freestanding pergolas and pillars; they can be interplanted with different types of climbers for a variety of colours and textures and to extend the season with interest; and they can even provide scent for seating areas and the like. There are evergreen climbers, herbaceous climbers, annual climbers and even ones that tolerate pollution.

With imagination and a bit of experimentation climbers can help to create the framework of a garden extra whoomph. Alternatively the plant can be positioned against a wall and trained to grow along taut wires ... this works very well as the wires are long lasting and pretty much invisible. In fact

For patios and areas near to the house there is often difficulty planting climbers as there is no suitable open ground. In this case it is possible to use a container so long as they are regularly repotted and severely cut back at pruning time.

Choose a pot which will easily accommodate the plant for two seasons and is frost proof .

Terracotta and stone pots will provide a good stable base. If the climber requires support, the trellis needs to be positioned at the base of the pot and bedded in with compost. I would recommend a loam-based compost with a slow release fertiliser thrown in to give the plant some

46

with a bit of imagination climbing plants can be trained to grow up almost anything. Perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius) winding their way up a wigwam of canes or Clematis weaving up through an old established rose - marvellous.

Evergreen climbers are a great garden stalwart.

They provide welcome interest in the winter months and can be an effective background plant for perennial climbers to grow through.

Trachelospermum jasminoides , the sweetlyscented star jasmine has glossy green leaves and delicate white flowers in spring. Akebia quinata

or the chocolate vine is an exotic looking plant although it is semi evergreen and frost hardy.

Our own wonderful guerilla gardener, Helen, has planted one in Albert Yard and it is already romping along the fence. Ivy is a tempting solution to an unattractive garden wall but beware ... within a few years it will be throwing out tendrils it would be hard for a young Arnie Schwarznegger to shift.

Growing climbers through other plants creates a dramatic effect in the garden. Care should be taken that the climber is not too quick off the mark otherwise it can overwhelm the host. Ideal climbers for this purpose are the Clematis viticella hybrids and any large-flower clematis that are cut back each year. Vigorous species are best suited for growing up through larger trees. Lablab purpureus is an annual which throws up twining stems of pink and purple flowers.

With imagination and a bit of experimentation climbers can help to create the framework of a garden. Sometimes the sheer variety of clematis, climbing roses et al can be off-putting but choose plants you like the look of and take it from there.

Happy Gardening

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The Bookseller

Jonathan main RECALLS THE PENGE MURDER AND RECOMMENDS SOME NATURE READS

W

ere we alive in the summer of 1877 then the talk of the day would undoubtedly have been of the Penge Mystery, the most infamous murder trial of its age. The details are quite horrible. A young woman named Harriet Richardson, described as having what we would today call, learning difficulties, but who is also in possession of, in today’s money, a half a million pound legacy, marries, against the will of her mother, a man named Louis Staunton.

In 1934 Elizabeth Jenkins a wellknown writer of the time took these details and produced a novel based on them. Harriet, which was, she later claimed, the first-ever novel to describe a real historical event using the real Christian names of those involved, went on to win the Femina Vie Heureuse Prize for which the runners up were Evelyn Waugh’s Handful of Dust and Antonia White’s Frost in May. Long out of print, Harriet has now been republished in a very handsome edition by Persephone Books £12.00.

at the moment and this book is somewhere near the top of its class.

Recovering from a failed relationship and having lost her job ‘by accident’, Laing decides to walk the route of the Ouse through the Weald and Downs of Suffolk, interspersing her rambles with discursive accounts of Virginia and Leonard Woolf at home at Monks House, of Gideon Mantell the country doctor and fossil collector who discovered the bones of an Iguanodon in a Weald Quarry and of Kenneth Graham famous for his novel of the river and of Ratty,

For a time Elizabeth Jenkins, who only died in 2010, knew and regularly visited Virginia Woolf who is one of the subjects of Olivia Laing’s quietly brilliant To The River (Canongate £8.99). Nature-writing and reflective books involving long walks taken, are quite the thing

Mole and Mr Toad. Every page has a new story and a literary echo, as the author’s journey moves ever closer to the sea. It’s a lovely book.

Less than two years later, Louis Staunton, his brother Patrick, Patrick’s wife and Louis’s lover are on trial accused of neglect and systematically starving Harriet and the child she has born; first at an isolated cottage at Cudham in Kent and then, finally, in lodgings in Forbes Road, Penge (later renamed Mosslea Road).

The inquest was held in the upstairs room of The Park Tavern in Station Road and newspaper reports at the time suggest that if the people could have got at the prisoners, they would have torn them limb from limb. The accused however, maintained their innocence of murder always insisting that though they were culpable of mistreating Harriet they had no intention of starving or murdering her. Much was made of the medical opinion that she may have died of the then little understood illness meningitis, and their death sentences were commuted after more than 700 doctors signed a petition in support of their possible innocence.

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Less charming than Laing but certainly taking itself twice as seriously whilst being bigger, fatter

and longer is Robert Macfarlane’s The Old Ways (Hamish Hamilton £20) in which the writer doggedly sets out to walk a thousand miles or more along old paths in search of a route to the past. Not content to confine himself to merely England and or Scotland there are also detours to the Himalayas, to Palestine and to Spain. A purported exploration of ghosts and voices that haunt these ancient paths, it is 400pages long and looking at it on my desk I can’t help thinking that I would sooner go for a walk than finish it.

On the other hand the fisherman and writer Chris Yates takes a far gentler approach in Nightwalk: A Journey to the Heart of Nature (Harpercollins £14.99) preferring instead to walk around the bottom of his garden in the dark. This is descriptive nature-writing on a small

quiet, almost, forensic scale. There are no diversions here from the meditative commune with nature done at a pace that wouldn’t wake a snoozing woodpigeon.

Matt Sewell takes a different approach to nature again. Our Garden Birds: A Bird For Every Week of the Year (Ebury Press £10.00) is a delight which does exactly what it says on the cover.

Fifty-two birds each exquisitely drawn accompanied by a short jaunty descriptive paragraph or

two – the Woodpigeon: Like a half-cut granddad, proud as punch at his granddaughter’s wedding – complete with an index for spotting and jotting. The other day we had a green woodpecker on one side of the garden and a lesser spotted one on the other. We keep a pair

of binoculars in the kitchen for just such an occurrence. So far, it has been the highlight of the year.

I’m no expert, but I’m guessing that an abundance of wildlife in our back gardens is one of the perks of living on the hills that were once covered by the Great North Wood.

Norwood: A Second Selection by John Coulter (The History Press £12.99) is part of the series Britain in Old Photographs and is the sequel to an earlier book now long out of print. It is a fine collection of photographs of the old Norwoods and bears testament to just what a thriving place it was. Also, there is a fantastic picture of Fred A Hedger, Bookseller and Stationer, standing outside his shop at Knight’s Hill Post Office in 1906, a Daily Chronicle newspaper headline proclaiming Unemployed Riot in Manchester.

How things change etc etc…

Finally, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (Canongate £16.99) is an astounding book.

Almost every month someone somewhere parps the new Great American Novel only for most of them to deflate faster than a Fourth of July balloon. This on the other hand is the real deal, a funny, sharp, confident novel about the war in Iraq. About a YouTube society dancing to a soundtrack by Destiny’s Child while elsewhere the bombs go boom and men no more than children are lucky to dodge the bullets.

Jonathan Main 49

THERE’S A WORLD OUT THERE! Howard Male is your pilot, and this time we’re off to New Zealand, Colombia, Mali, Tanzania .. er … Hackney, so fasten your seatbelts!

A

s a live performer, New Zealand’s one-man man band Delaney Davidson comes across as a whisky-steeped, bar-room brawler with a broken heart. In reality he’s not had a drink for seven years and you can invite him round for beans on toast and a mug of tea (as I did, in fact, only the other week) without fearing he’ll wreck the place. However, he did once lead the life he describes in his roughedged country/blues songs, and it even put him in a jail cell on more than one occasion. Bad Luck Man (Voodoo Rhythm Records) is his superb second album and it’s full of songs that Nick Cave or Tom Waits would be proud of.

There’s never been a more appropriate and simultaneously amusing name for a band than Bongo Hotheads. This Tanzanian crew of eight youngsters makes a fast and furious sound centred on a 25-quid Casio keyboard, bongos (in case you hadn’t guessed) and vocals. The end result is very in-your-face and almost absurdly energetic.

Jagwa Music (Crammed Discs) is from the same producer that brought us the Congotronics series, but for me it’s not quite as compelling as previous releases by the likes of Konono No 1.

The constant rattle and thump of the too-highin-the-mix congas wears a bit thin after the first couple of songs, as does the fact that the only

50

tribute (so there’s a hiphop element on a few of the tunes but it never feels less than natural).

other instrumentation is a toy keyboard. But if I got as drunk as Delaney Davidson used to get, maybe then it would work its magic.

In recent years Colombian cumbia has been growing in popularity around the world, gradually becoming as compelling a groove as reggae or ska in its capacity to get people on the dance floor. But up until now, DJs have been reliant on vintage recordings from the 1960s and 1970s to put on the decks. Which brings us to Ondatropica (Soundways Records). The title is also the name of the band, and it’s a band consisting of an extensive line-up of great musicians old and new, intent on putting Colombia’s music back into a contemporary context. This it does with a vibrant, well-produced double album which perfectly balances a respect and feel for all the musical styles being paid

African music fans will be used to the notion that Afrobeat stems from Nigeria, and that Mali is more associated with loping blues and the elegant, intricate meanderings of its kora players. But Afrobeat has its roots in the 1970s funk of James Brown who whose guitar-led grooves were as familiar to Malians as it was to Nigerians. Which brings us to Ben Zabo and his self-titled debut album (Glitterhouse Records).

The influence of Brown and of course Fela Kuti is immediately apparent, but occasionally you can also hear the more meditative, introspective elements one associates with Malian music. But largely this is full-on brassy Afrobeat, as assertively funky as anything Nigeria has produced.

Talking of Africa, East London’s Tigercats incorporate African guitar into some of their songs.

Whether the influence is direct or via Vampire Weekend is neither here no there, as they’re a lot more edgy and interesting than those

aforementioned New York college boys. Their debut album Isle of Dogs (Fika Recordings/ Acuarela) is refreshing because it actually sounds like a real band going through their paces (rather than an overproduced confection).

Their poppy yet angular sound evokes a whole bunch of late 1970s punk/ new wave acts who were doing their thing before any of these youngsters were even born. In fact the lyrics of The Vapours name-checks a whole string of such acts (Jona Lewie, Jilted John, The Only Ones and of course The Vapours), all of which have clearly inspired their music, without ever turning it into mere pastiche. Sharp and witty lyrics too. Tigercats are the best new British rock band I’ve heard in ages.

Howard Male

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WHAt's ON

South London Theatre The Old Fire Station 2A Norwood High Street London SE27 9NS Box Office 020 8670 3474 www.southlondontheatre.co.uk

THEATRE

Tuesday 5 - Saturday 9 June Singles

by John Bowen 8pm Miss Sophie Baines is a woman who knows exactly what she wants 'I want a child. I intend to have one. I do not want a husband.' Sex itself is a 'disagreeable preliminary'.

'Singles' follows Sophie's somewhat unconventional efforts to conceive despite her family's disapproval, complications with the donor and interference from the window cleaner. A moving, naturalistic comedy.

Tuesday 19 - Saturday 23 June

ST. MARK’S PLAYERS Stanley Halls South Norwood Hill London SE25 6AB Box Office: 020 7193 3495 or 07801 556713

Friday 15 - Saturday 16 June MURDER AT THE STANLEY HALLS

Tues 3rd - Sat 7th July ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTEIN ARE DEAD

by Tom Stoppard 8pm In this comic take on Hamlet, the title characters play with the themes of madness, fate and existentialism as they attempt to understand who they are and why they are here.

They have no idea of why they are doing what they are doing, why they have been called to Elsinore, what people expect of them and why a gold coin, when spun 86 times, comes down heads every time.

The White Devil

by John Webster 8pm A heady blend of lust, intrigue and murderous plotting, John Webster's play tells the story of Vittoria Corombona, a married noblewoman, who elopes with her lover, Count Brachiano, when her husband and his wife are both murdered. As the finger of suspicion wavers between different parties, mysterious strangers start to appear - are these ghosts from a troubled past or aggrieved adversaries in disguise, hell-bent on revenge? From the pen of one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, The White Devil shares much in common with modern horror stories.murderous plotting, The White Devil shares much in common with modern horror stories.

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Wed 18th - Sat 21st July TWISTED TALES FOR TWENTY TWELVE by the South London Youth Theatre 7.30pm To celebrate London's hosting of the Olympics and the many cultures who will be sharing their city over the summer, the Junior and Intermediate youth groups will be presenting a number of stories from across the world, with contemporary 'twists'. Be they myths, folk tales or based on real events, if you think you knew these stories, be prepared to look again...

(in support of St. Christopher’s Hospice and The Demelza Hospice for Children) Friday 7.30pm Saturday 2.30pm & 7.30pm A spoof Victorian musical melodrama, written and directed by James Graham, this show is great fun for all as some well known characters pop up throughout – though not in their usual guise!!

Set at the time of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it features ‘The Empire’s Got Talent’ which is being staged by Andrew Webber-Lloyd to discover a new star to entertain Her Majesty. But evil is afoot as the dastardly Sir Jasper De’Ath is plotting to ensure his protégé, Miss Crystal Palace, wins the competition whilst he pockets the prize money.

A variety of well known songs from ‘Oliver’and musical hall classics through to Sting’s ‘An Englishman In New York’ punctuate the show - with a comedian, strong man, magician and ‘daring young man’competing for the prize money and fame.

Will Lord Penge’s unsavoury past be revealed??

Will Sir Jasper be unmasked by Holmes & Watson?? …or will Eric Cantona save the day ???

Gadzooks! Things could turn nasty……

Tickets: £11 including Fish ‘n’ Chips or £8 show only.

Box Office now open: 020 7193 3495 or 07801 556713 Wheelchair Access. Refreshments.

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