Glorious London

I make no secret that I love London, having lived here for most of my adult life, although I wasn't born here. That is not to say that it is perfect or that it would appeal to everyone, heaven forbid; it is a world city, a mega-city, with all the problems that entails.

There is something unique - and simply glorious - that London has in abundance, however, that is not found in any other comparable city anywhere: its public parks. And what an amazing selection there is too choose from, whether in the centre of town or elsewhere. Wherever you go there will be a park to be found, with the best known ones being near the smartest parts of town. But, and therein lies the uniqueness, there are parks in virtually all of London's areas, privileged or not, allowing all inhabitants the luxury of a green open space in a large, busy metropolis.

Londoners generally appreciate their parks and use them in many different ways, from just walking the dog or taking a stroll to organised sports and outdoor events. During hot spells they resemble nudist (well, semi-nude) colonies, as winter-pale bodies try to absorb lots of sun; often the results are not the desired ones, with red, unhappy, blotchy skin being nature's revenge for our refusal to take her seriously.

Parks are often a haven for wildlife, more so the ones with ponds or lakes, and large colonies of ducks, geese, even swans, wander about happily providing a lovely sight for all visitors. I was recently privileged to see the delight on the faces of some city children when they came into contact with these beautiful creatures, close enough to admire, be able to feed them and almost touch them; eyes aglow they looked at the creatures walking nearby and couldn't quite believe what they were witnessing, so close to the heart of this modern, efficient city.

My few photographs are from Regents Park, possibly my favourite of the London parks that I know, and not just because I used to live very near it and cross it on foot almost every day for nearly twenty years. It is large, yes, and houses London Zoo, learned institutions and even private homes, but somehow manages to remain serene and cosseting, giving the illusion of seclusion and peace. Even on a busy sunny day it's possible to find quiet corners to enjoy, listen to the birds and look at the vegetation and the sky, or just read a book.

Don't misunderstand me, London is not some sylvan paradise but an urban environment privileged enough to have many of these wonderful parks. They are not all equally large or beautiful, well maintained or peaceful at all times, but they all add something positive to their communities and the life that they lead. I hesitate to think what London air quality would be like without them. They help make London the special place it is, the mega-city that has a human side, that is liveable in on a day to day basis. They are worth discovering, exploring, enjoying and preserving.

A drop of decent wine goes a long way

Ah, but I'm a lucky fellow for, despite my impoverished state, I have been allowed by the fates to drink some good wines recently. What a pleasure that was.

Let me explain: by good wine I don't necessarily mean something with a stratospheric price tag and a name that wine snobs everywhere would drool over, though sometimes these coincide, but rather a wine with a bit of class, a bit of age and good balance; it has to be ripe, concentrated and complex, but not to the nth degree.

Thanks to improved technology, wider oenological education and more attention to detail there are plenty of decent wines around today at all levels, and fewer complete disasters, so the average drinker has a much easier time selecting a bottle to accompany their next meal or just for a pleasant sip. In the last year I have had many everyday wines, all impeccably made and pleasant, if mostly unexciting, but few stirring bottles. Then last week I had two, one of which was very good indeed.

Fittingly this was a second wine of a chateau that for years had been one of my favourites, as it always seemed to offer superb value for money, Chateau Pichon Baron. This perhaps used to lack the sheer finesse and complexity of its sister property (they were once joined) Pichon Lalande, but was usually unctuous and pleasing, and especially successful in off vintages. The Baron's second wine - les Tourelles de Longueville - reflected all that in the 2012 vintage, delivering a superbly balanced, classy, rich mouthful. Not a wine to blow you away, this was deeply satisfying stuff and the best glass of red wine I have tasted so far this autumn. What made this even more pleasing was drinking it at home (the home of a friend, obviously, as I no longer have one!) with simple food that played a supporting role.

The following night we went out to one of his local restaurants, where unfortunately the Rhone wine I had pinpointed had changed vintage to one of less grace. My friend chose another second wine from Bordeaux, of less illustrious pedigree but from an easier vintage and with a bit more age, La Dame de Malescot 2009 of Chateau Malescot St. Exupery. This was very good indeed, though showing some hard tannins and lacking the richness of the wine from the previous evening; it is, of course, less 'richly' priced as well, an important consideration, especially in a restaurant!

So after a slightly fallow period, partly due to a severe cold, I ended up having two good wines in two days. Will my luck hold until the end of the year, to include at least four more stunning wines, now that my pocket cannot dictate the pace? Will I continue being lucky? I promise to report any further excitement, and may even include some day to day stuff if the quality and style warrants it.

Wait and see...

Peace

Peace is something that most of us living in the world today take for granted, simply because the last major war which affected most people around the globe in some way or another - WW2 - happened over 70 years ago. Most people alive today were not even born then, so have only experienced the horrors of large scale war through the accounts of others, plus archival footage of the time; films and literature also give an idea of events, though they are sometimes skewed due to ideological lapses or to achieve entertainment value.

Today war is something that happens mostly elsewhere and is seen and analysed on television. The destroyed buildings and maimed bodies are tragic, to be sure, and we are temporarily very moved, but they involve others; after the shock of watching we can have another drink, bemoan the state of things around the world, and retire safe to our bed for a night's sleep. We can do that because the majority of the world, and certainly Western Europe, are enjoying a long period of peace and, with it, prosperity.

What is peace? Is it simply the absence of war, of hostilities? Or is it more than that, no hostilities but also lack of menace, disappearance of threat? And why would anyone in their right mind want to shatter that and introduce death, uncertainty, misery and suffering?

Now that travelling the world is easy and quick, many of us get a chance to visit far away places. Do we look at them and think that they could be improved if only a little death and destruction were introduced into their daily life? Do we dream of 'making the world better' by killing a large part of the incumbent population? Or do we want these strangers, these foreigners, to remain at peace so that we can share a little of what they enjoy, being welcome visitors rather than hated invaders?

I know what I like: this absence of threat, this lack of fighting, this peace. It has nothing to do with a fear of dying. Rather, it is about the enjoyment of living, of humanity, the seeking to understand others, the valuing of laughter over snarling; peace to me is about the hope that tomorrow may also be good, that we may also smile then, that day will follow night, that children will be allowed to play, laugh and grow up, and that love and mutual respect will flourish.

In my previous piece I mentioned the reasons for war, with financial being championed by many, and they can certainly undermine the very existence of peace. Action (the existence of war and violence) may seem to some more tangible and productive/attractive than the inaction of peace, which may seem uncommitted, vapid, unfocused; this is an illusion. The seeming inaction of peace requires true vision, commitment and effort, just as love between individuals is effortful. Both are, ultimately, truly rewarding.

War

Today is Remembrance Sunday in the United Kingdom (and many Commonwealth countries), a humbling and sobering day to remember all the people who have died fighting wars in the service of their country. Originally commemorating the end of the Great War (WW1), it has now expanded to include all the fallen in wars since; it is handled in the UK with unique dignity, sensitivity and solemnity. It is not a celebration of war or victory, nor a time of recrimination, accusation or grieving, but simply a tribute to the memory of all these people and the wars that took their lives.

War is a terrible thing, full of destruction, heartache and misery. We have only to look at the images on our television screens to gain some understanding, with Syria and its problems the current hot spot. Europe, in contrast to its recent past, has been peaceful but not trouble-free; the people fleeing other conflict zones are heading there now and causing tensions of a different kind. But we must not ignore Europe's history, so full of wars, death and destruction over many centuries - the numbers are quite unimaginable, especially of course for the two main wars of the 20th century, where technology helped to swell the numbers of the dead.

Why do we go to war? Can anything ever justify this bloodshed, the ruined lives, the destruction? Is it always, as some cynics say, for financial gain, or is it something else? Are we pre-programmed to fight, to self-destruct? Is all this inevitable, and all that the part of humanity not involved can do is to count the cost and help with the aftermath? What makes us hate in this way?

The great Herodotus (known as 'the Father of History') sought answers to these and many more questions, some more simplistic, others more complex; he travelled widely throughout the ancient world and ceaselessly asked questions trying to figure out why human beings behave they way they do. Yet here we are still asking similar questions, still ignorant, still killing one another.

We continue believing that war in one form or another is the answer but do not seem to know or understand the relevant question. We continue to glorify killing one another in the name of some cause and feel proud that we can do it better than the next person/group/country. Wrap ourselves in a cause and we are ready for anything - why should little children not be barrel-bombed out of existence if they (or their parents) oppose us.

I understand that war - and violence - have a role to play; I too will protect my loved ones if they are threatened. But war as a means of economic/political/religious domination? Have we learnt nothing from the past, from history?

Remembrance Sunday helps us honour and appreciate sacrifice. It should also make us stop and think, and understand the colossal waste that is war.

Has London become too commercial? (continued)

My feeling after writing part 1 is that, in fact, it is not London that has become too commercial but life itself; London has simply adapted to this new reality. And let us not kid ourselves, we are all at least partly responsible: there would be no Christmas shop display in November if we the public shunned it, no Halloween fuss, no Valentine day's silliness  (etc. etc. etc.) if we were indifferent. The commercial world will push us in a certain direction, but we are not forced to go that way, and they will soon change if enough of us react against it.

We do not have to eat at chain restaurants, buy everything at a supermarket, follow trends and fashions, over-consume and over-demand. We are not obliged to buy branded goods, support entertainment concepts or drink beers purely on the strength of a marketing campaign. This does not mean retreating to live in the woods, though that is one (extreme) solution, but rather to tone down our wants, scrutinise our needs and reject anything surplus to or not in keeping with our requirements.

But going back to how London is today compared to how it was, say, when I first came to live here in the end of the seventies/beginning of the eighties there is a great deal to say and most of it is largely positive. London has the great good fortune of being an 'old' city, graced with beautiful older buildings in many cases, and with a timeless feel about large parts of it. This, it has to be said, was done no favours by the civic planning and architecture of the period immediately after WW2 and up to the seventies, when money was initially tight and vision clouded by this; some of London's most execrable buildings date from this period. True, a lot of the newer buildings that have gone up since the eighties and especially in the 21st century are brash, modern, over-functional and too tall, and some of them will look also execrable in a few years time, but there has also been regeneration of whole parts of London that were derelict.

With the growth of the UK service industry and the decline of manufacturing the demands for buildings has altered substantially, influenced by the demands of new technology, a more prosperous world and, dare I say it, greed. Developers - and they are nothing new, great parts of London owe their existence to them - cannot make money unless they build, and the more cheaply they can build and sell expensively the more money they make. So money has always affected the changing face of London.

Once again, though, we are all guilty of being greedy : for more space, more comfort, more and better facilities, more material goods. No one forces us to do this, we like it, though I suppose you can argue that we have been seduced by it. Gossip, celebrity, flashy/trashy lifestyles are all fuelling the commercialisation but are being supported by us. Choice...

I love London and would have loved it to have remained in a kind of  early 1980s mode, but with the food and transport facilities available today; the gentler pace of life suited me. Life will change, though, no matter what our personal choices are and how cloistered we would like it to remain. What London must try not to do, however, is lose its individuality and quirkiness, what makes it stand out as a city. Let it be influenced by others but not become a copy of anyone or anything.

On the subject of London, commercial or otherwise, I will return soon.

Losing friends

Friends are the most important thing in life, more valuable than money, more significant than social status, more rewarding than any award. And I say this having been blessed to have many good friends. Not nice acquaintances you understand, but real friends, people who care about me as much as I care about them... wonderful!

How careless, then, you might think, to lose your friends - how could you do it? Did you misplace them? Did you argue, scream and shout at each other, then walk off in different directions never to meet again?

Alas no, the loss I have in mind is more permanent, final, and something that sooner or later comes to us all: death. Friends can be here today but gone tomorrow; with their passing we lose not only their presence and all the nice moments we were  to spend with them, but also lots of the shared moments in our mutual past. No more 'remember when we...', no more talk about those special moments of the, sometimes very distant, past. Suddenly these either retreat to our memory, to be brought to the front of our mind on occasion, or to the shared memory of third parties that were also there and subtly different.

Life is full of loss and the, usually painful, feelings that go with it. We are predestined to lose family - remember your grandparents? - members, friends and acquaintances before we too disappear, to be remembered for a while at least in writings, photographs, our tombstone. And if with every loss there are feelings of absence, regret, helplessness, disappointment, emptiness, these may be tempered by relief or heightened by fury, depending on the circumstances.

I'm now at an age when it is expected that my immediate friends will start popping off naturally sooner rather than later, but this does not make it easier, nor does their absence become any less heartfelt for it. All of them, in one way or another, blessed my life with their presence and warmth. But the recent loss of my lovely friend Nick is particularly painful, as for most of 2016 I lived under his and Jen's (his wife) roof and spent a big part of my days and nights with him. In the process we discovered that our friendship, mutual respect and affection was even stronger than we thought, and that we wanted this to continue for a long time to come. It was not to be.

There is more sadness ahead, I know, to balance or overwhelm what's gone before; I hope that I will have the courage to deal with it and the wisdom to accept it and be grateful to have been so blessed, as there are people who go through life with few if any friends. And there is always the wine...

Has London become too commercial (part 1)?

Travelling home with a colleague the other day we were discussing this and that and, apropos something or other, she declared that in her view 'London had become too commercial'. As she sought my view on this, my reply was in the best Sir Humphrey (of the brilliant Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister comedies) mode: well, yes and no.

London is one of the world's great cities, and a destination for visitors from all over the world. As international travel has become easier and less expensive, so people have sought to visit places they have heard about and which excite their curiosity and fantasy in one way or another. Shopping has also become an international pastime, with people travelling great distances in pursuit of the latest fashion, a bargain, style. And London has been well positioned to satisfy these urges.

This is not new. Ever since the fashions and lifestyle of the swinging sixties appeared in the media London became a bit of a magnet. Over the last 30 years people have been coming in their droves, attracted by London's unique mix of history and modern living. The much maligned EU has also contributed to this effect, with Eurotunnel another factor. And, of course, Greater London area residents have found it easier to reach the centre of town and access its many delights.

London had a choice: respond or ignore, and face the consequences.

London has responded to this by modernising, becoming more international and, by necessity, more open to business. In order to accommodate and look after the ever-increasing visitor numbers more (and better) hotels have been built, more (and much better) restaurants have been created, more shops have been opened. With the improvements in the general infrastructure the standard of everyday life in London is being improved immeasurably.

But it is true that London has become more corporate: the high streets are dominated by chains, especially in the catering game, and while their standards may be higher than in the past this uniformity leads to blandness. So, good news and bad news...

Is this all bad? Is London worse than it was ten/twenty/thirty years ago? Think about it over your cup of coffee and let's continue the discussion another time, but remember one thing: life does not stand still, and neither does our environment, urban or otherwise, no matter what we prefer.

Wines from Cyprus

I must admit I had a bit of a surprise yesterday, and it was a very pleasant one: I attended a tasting hosted by the Cyprus High Commission comprising of, unsurprisingly, wines from Cyprus. And the quality of the winemaking was quite high, the wines individual and full of character; there were even some exceptional ones. Yes, this was a pleasant surprise!

When I was alerted to tis tasting a few weeks ago by a mate and fellow wine professional I thought it worth going to out of curiosity, but in truth did not expect much. My last experience of Cypriot wines, lost in the mists of time, was of commercial, unexciting, indifferent offerings packaged in an old-fashioned way. They were not quite wines to be avoided, perhaps, but certainly not wines you would choose to seek out. Sole exception to this was Commandaria, the intensely sweet, rich wine which was distinctive and often enjoyable. So I wondered what was new these days that warranted a showcase tasting in London, at the Vintners Hall, no less.

The slogan for the event - or perhaps for Cyprus wines in general - appears to be '6000 Years of History  and the Journey continues...' - which is catchy in a way and appears to call upon the ancients to bless the new. Thankfully the wines on show largely did not need support from history, ancient gods or anything like that, though their journey is certainly not complete. Technically the wines were well made, clean and fresh, hiding no horrors; now they need to become more appealing and exhibit a bit more than just 'local character', if they are to capture a wider audience.

I found the white wines, mainly made from a local variety (xynisteri, possibly a clue in the name...), to be clean and fresh but also acidic, sour and lacking in fruit, largely graceless. In fairness, they were shown too cold so perhaps their finer aromas were lost, but... They would probably have been fine with seafood in a sun-filled beach taverna, served chilled. But they were all clean, well-made and largely well-presented. Yes they have a way to go (not to attain international style but to reach their full, local character potential) but they are going in the right direction. And the few that blended xynisteri with another variety seemed to gain in complexity and balance.

The roses were pleasant and inoffensive, with good colour that is the essence of these wines, and differing personalities. I believe that they, at least in an off-dry style, are quite the fashion in the local market at present, and there was a good representative of the style here. There was even a 'serious' rose, more like a light red in nose and palate, which will also have its fans.

The reds are the better wines at present. On some of the wines there was a distinct lack of fruit, which was impossible to evaluate not knowing much about the grape varieties or vintages - hint to the organisers : how about some general vintage information to aid us? - but the general standard was good. There were one or too exceptional wines, though the better ones were made with imported grape varieties. The winemaking was correct and serious at all levels, with some very luggable wines, little to complain about and even a couple of bottles I would have liked to take home with me.

The jewel in the Cyprus wine crown is still the sweet wine, with some exceptional wines showing that xynisteri can be very useful indeed. Commandaria is worth seeking out, even in its more commercial forms, with the smaller producers making superb, delicate, complex wines. A sweet rose muscat on show was also superb, and there was only one dud wine which was boring and tasted like sugar water.

My one area of serious concern was in the indicated prices for most of these wines, which appeared to be very high for wines still finding their way. I appreciate UK duty on wine is quite high, as are probably the transport costs from Cyprus, but if the wines are to stand a chance in the general market and not just aim at the expat Cypriots and Cypriot restaurants they are going to have to temper their ambitions a little bit.

All in all this was a positive experience, made better for being rather unexpected. I wish the Cypriot wine industry well and hope that the next time I taste their products they will be even better, more rounded, balanced and complete. Certainly they are going the right way and, so long as they don't get carried away by hot air and history and knuckle down to some serious work, there is no reason why they cannot gain a place in wine enthusiasts' hearts.