3rd December 2017

Yesterday my new friend Adrian Goldberg, a well-known broadcaster, was on BBC Radio 4 interviewing a Birmingham architect in his inner-city home.  What was interesting was how the architect had modernised his old house to incorporate new technology.  He had left the exterior as it was, in keeping with the rest of the street and area, but had then totally modernised the interior.  There is a closed FB site called Old Photos of Birmingham where contributors continually lambast town planners for destroying the city's heritage and culture, but still the wholesale destruction goes on, in the name of progress.  When we lived in France I was continually struck by how the French never seem to knock anything down, so retaining the original character of the country.  Similarly, when I visit charming places like Bath or even London, I see whole rows of Regency houses, giving a flavour of the city's past. Obviously we can't expect people to live with outmoded facilities - I remember all too well my grandparents' house in the old back-to-back courtyards of Birmingham - but why decimate our heritage?  So, Adrian: did you give a hint, yesterday, to the nation's builders and town planners on the way forward?  Yes!  Retain the characterful exteriors of our buildings - reminding everyone of our history and culture - but bring the interiors completely up to date with all that modern technology can provide.

2nd June 2013

What shakes me up more than anything else?  People coming to stay. Don't get me wrong - it's lovely having people round, but the 2 weeks before?  Panic.  I think of those awful TV programmes like Come Dine with me, where guests go round the house whilst you're busy in the kitchen, surreptitiously looking for dust on bedroom shelves, under beds etc. There's nowhere to hide, but where to start?  I sometimes think the 'worst' kind of houses are old French stone houses like ours.  Nothing quite seems to fit. Doors don't quite shut. Electricity isn't always reliable, the plumbing gurgling at night.  But, at least we've now had guest bathroom fittings installed - even though the ceiling height means those over 5' 10 will need to shower sitting down! Outside too, there are so many little wooden log cupboards, dog niches and the like - all full of spider webs and gecko-retreats. So, if guests expect the English norms of shiny brass door fittings, deep-pile carpet and patio doors that glide to perfection, they're in for a bit of a shock. There're other differences too which I've yet to fathom.  Why are French houses so often sited at angles to the road?  Sometimes they're facing sideways, like ours, and I've seen others with their backs to the front, if you see what I mean.  Bizarre. So, am I excited at people arriving?  Yes!  But are they prepared for the obvious culture shock - that's the question.