Salmon fishing in ....Devon!

My husband has been going trout fishing for a few years and quite enjoys discovering new places where to practise this passion. So he got very excited when, through some Italian friends (yes, the Italian network is always very powerful!), he met an English couple who, not only enjoy fishing, but also belong to a fishing club. There you go! We were, to my great joy, invited to a salmon fishing weekend in Devon. He had never done salmon fishing so of course he was thrilled. 

We left on a Friday at midday and after a nearly 4 -hour drive we arrived in the stunning county of Devon. The river where he was supposed to fish is the river Tamar and it’s truly beautiful. Unfortunately, it had been raining heavily during the previous days resulting in the river being very high making the fishing particularly challenging, even for the most experienced fisherman. We did see a few salmon jumping in the water but nobody caught any fish. 

It was very nice to meet such keen fishermen and fisherwomen and to experience a quintessential British weekend! In fact, a part from learning to wade and properly cast, the highlight of the weekend was the social part of it. All of these people come together once a year for the last weekend of the fishing season but since they have known each other for years, the atmosphere is extremely friendly and relaxed. 

The base of the club is the Endsleigh Hotel, once a country house of the Duke of Bedford, and now a stunning hotel that feels more like somebody’s home. Big fireplaces were warming up the various sitting rooms exquisitely decorated by Olga Polizzi, the younger sister of Sir Rocco Forte. The Endsleigh fishing club was celebrating its 50^th anniversary so we enjoyed a couple of special dinners including a black tie one. The food was very good (which counts double if it comes from an Italian!) and the company even better. I was lucky to meet many extraordinary people and for the first time in my life even a 007!

by Alessandra Gnudi

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A sense of national pride

I call London home and I even found myself cheering for the UK athletes at the Olympics, willing them to stand proud on the medal table. Having said that, I am still very much an American at heart.  This sense of National pride was never more alive than on Tuesday evening when I was lucky enough to be one of nearly 1200 guests who had gathered for the election night party at the American Embassy. 

The anticipation leading up to this event was great.  The election seemed to capture the interest of many from all parts of the world.  With all eyes already on one of the closest contests in the US ‘s history, the natural disaster on the east coast seemed to compound the attention heaped on this epic showdown. My excitement built as the evening approached.

 

The American Embassy was transformed from a place of business, queues and passport renewal angst to a welcoming venue hosting an exceptional party. There was never a better excuse to celebrate being an American and being a part of a country that values democracy and the freedom to dream of achieving great things. We were graciously welcomed by the Ambassador, Louis B. Sussman, and led by Russell Watson singing the national anthem. The party evolved as the evening progressed and the guests were allowed to roam freely between the grand reception lobby, the media centre filled with US networks covering the election and the Regal Eagle pub offering McDonald’s, drinks and Starbucks coffee for those who needed a shot of Americana or a caffeine boost to make it to the early hours of the morning. 

 

I, unfortunately, didn’t make it to the early hours, when the winner was eventually announced. Instead I was awakened by my son with the results.  It is difficult to convey how special it was to be at the American Embassy for this historic event.  I was happily reminded of my roots! 

by Nancy Dickinson

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Mind the deer!

Some people lose weight during the summer, but I’m not one of those people. All the lovely BBQ parties and a few too many cocktails and glasses of wine have not done me any good. Every autumn when I have to change from summer dresses to jeans, I notice that my jeans have shrunk at least one size since spring. So, I start a new life! I must say that I envy people who like to run. I just hate it! I will start to pant after 100 metres, my face goes so red that I will scare people around me and my heart rate goes so high that I nearly faint. I must admit, running just isn’t my thing.

I love walking though. I decided to start with Nordic Walking which is even better than just walking because you have the poles in your hand and it provides even better exercise. Nordic Walking is not very popular in this country. Every time I go for a walk somebody asks me where my skis are, or haven’t I noticed that there isn’t any snow etc. I laugh and pretend that I haven’t heard the joke before.

 

I like to go walking in the morning after I have sent my children to school. I’m lucky because I live in Richmond and there is no better place for a nice walk than in Richmond Park. I love the fresh morning air, the sun peeking at you behind the trees and of course – the famous deer who live in the park. I have missed so many wonderful photos, because I have not got my camera with me. So, one morning I decided to take my camera with me. I must say, because I got carried away with all the lovely shots I took, I almost forgot that I was there for exercising!

Suddenly I saw a big herd of male deer with huge antlers standing close to me. I grabbed my camera once again, threw my poles on the ground and started to take photos of the deer. They just stood there and ate grass. They looked so majestic and peaceful. I was so excited and happy when suddenly they started to fight. 

Just in front of me, the two of them put their horns together with a big bang and pushed each other. My knees turned to jelly! I grabbed my poles and tried to get away from them as quickly as I could. I even thought that because of my poles, they may think that I’m some sort of an animal and they could attack me. I think I have never been so scared in my life. All the way to the park gates my only thought was where to I escape if they would start to attack me. Luckily for me, they did not.

I still get a shiver when I think about it. You must be very careful with deer during the autumn because it is their mating season and they might be very aggressive. Although they are used to people around them, they are still wild animals. I’m still going to the park for Nordic Walking, but I now keep my distance from the deer!

by Eva Unt

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Bronze

Bronze, now on exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts is exhilarating viewing! It is an incredible international collection on a scale never yet attempted of over 150 bronze sculptures forming an exciting display from Ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan bronzes, to Medieval and Renaissance works by Rodin, Picasso and Henry Moore. Professor David Ekserdjian, its curator has brought sculptures together, categorised into themes : heads, animals, reliefs and gods to name but a few which stretch across eras, side by side, from 400 BC to the 1950s!

The highlight as you enter the exhibition is simply magnetic: The Dancing Satyr, circa 4th

Century BC from ancient Greece. He hovers above your head, a striking dancer, discovered

from the west coast of Sicily uplifted from the sea, and found by fishermen in 1998. The leg

was discovered first and then in 1999 the remaining body of the sculpture was raised from the depths, the bronze oxidised by the water. He stands alone, heroic and unique. There is nothing like him anywhere in the world!

On loan from Florence, the Etruscan Chimaera of Arezzo sculpted circa 400 BC, embodies a

monstrous lion with serpent’s tail and a goat’s head which grabs the attention. Animals include a turkey by Giambologna and an extraordinary oversized spider by Louise Bourgeois. ‘Baboon and Young’, by Picasso, in 1951, incorporates toy cars belonging to his son Claude! Not to be missed is the Chariot of the Sun, found in 1902 in Denmark preserved in a peat bog , from 14^th century BC!

It is a fascinating exhibition to thrill and amaze you, and I recommend it to anyone until

December 9th 2012...

 by Gemma Darlington 

Gemma is a FOCUS member and a jewellery specialist and gemmologist of Gem’s Fine Jewels

www.gemsfinejewels

More information on the Bronze exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts

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Fab at 50

Alhtough I grew up in Brazil in the 60's, I had a much older brother who was really into British pop culture.  Because of him, this was an integral part of growing up, even in my early years. Beatles and 007 were as familiar to me in São Paulo as to any kid in Manchester in the 1960’s.    As time passe,d I began to realise that familiarity wasn't the only reason why I couldn't live without listening to British music. Even before I could speak my own language properly, I could attempt to sing Beatles songs, even though I doubt any English speaker would ever understand me.

Without giving my age away, I’ve really recently felt the years ‘weighing on my shoulders’, a big anniversary celebration: 50 years of the first James Bond film and 50 years of "Love me Do", the first Beatles’ single. There were celebrations up and down the country over the entire weekend, even my local pub was offering a special 007 Martini: shaken not stirred. And I had to go back to my iTunes library and fill my weekend with early Beatles songs: 'Love me do', 'Help', 'Please, please me', 'Yellow submarine' and 'Sergeant Pepper' brought back good memories as they were the soundtrack to my childhood, thanks to my brother. Those fun days are still so present and familiar after all these years, despite being so far away from my hometown.

Back to the present, I have to say again how lucky I am to be living in a country whose culture is so rich, rebellious, sometimes naive, sometimes eccentric but mostly edgy, and so internationally influential. What other movie can you remember that has been so fashionable and up-to-date, even after having gone through so many facelifts, but which still has universal appeal to every age of fan, from teenagers to pensioners, at 50 years of age? And which band do you know whose songs can be sung by 3 year-olds, are hugely covered by 30 year-olds, and can still generate hysterical screams from the baby boomers who were lucky enough to have been teenagers in the swinging 60's?

That's what British pop is all about, and these are just two examples of so many. After all, they are still here, young as ever, after all these decades. Some things never die, some never change, some change for the better, just to keep a young image.  But some are forever... like diamonds...even at 50! 

by Valeria Fleury

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