The British Red Cross Open Gardens programme, established over 70 years ago, offers a rare opportunity to explore the secrets of hidden and private gardens not usually open to the public.

The programme has a most impressive list of beautiful gardens of all shapes and sizes throughout the UK. From hills and vales to inner cities, you can find some rare gems in the most unexpected places.

Open your garden
Would you like to open your garden?

Saturday, 18 to Sunday, 19 September 2004 Open House Weekend 2004 The annual highlight of London Open House

Have you ever wondered about the hidden interiors of the buildings you pass every day? Every September the annual Open House London event takes place and this year the dates are 18th + 19th September. Over 500 buildings are opening their doors to everyone and turning the capital into a living architectural exhibition. And it's absolutely free!

Free online search facility To find out about individual buildings by name, architect, area, etc., use the Buildings Search page.

The RSA will be open on Sunday 19th September, opening times 10 to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm).

While The City is home to some of the richest concentrations of businesses in the world, its fringes include some of the most underprivileged boroughs in England.

On Tuesday 19th October at St Paul's Cathedral, The Prince's Trust is holding a special City event that will address this polarisation. Sponsored by Coutts and Co, Bridging the Gap will bring together CEO's and board level Executives of major Blue Chip corporations, key industry leaders and public sector organisations.

Sir David Garrard, Chairman of Minerva Plc and Sponsor of the renowned Business Academy in Bexley, has kindly agreed to address the audience as key speaker on the fundamental wealth/deprivation divide, and will be exploring ways in which City stakeholders can help Bridge The Gap in conjunction with The Prince's Trust.

The evening will begin with an exclusive champagne reception surrounding Nelson's Tomb, and will be followed by a private recital, tour of the cathedral and superb three course dinner.

Booking your place

Tickets for Bridging the Gap are £300 per head. All proceeds will go directly to The Prince's Trust. Through your support we hope to raise a sum that will help us make a significant impact to the skills and employment prospects of disadvantaged young people across London.

To secure your ticket: download the booking form. Print, complete and send it to the address provided no later than October 6th or call Naomi Edler on 020 7382 5137

bloggzen - total immersion blogging
technology innovation

"So after some research into Fish & Chips places - we've chosen the Sea Shell on Lisson Grove as the lcoation of our micro-content dinner in London. It's in Marylebone. Map.

There's a private room downstairs - which will hold 40 people.

The topics under discussion will include:

- Open-Media.org

- FOAFnet.org

- OpenEvents.org

- OpenReviews.org

and other potential efforts around new kinds of micro-content. I've been working
hard to help promulgate these new standards and would appreciate some help!"

Sign-up on Wiki.

artzen - art culture info expo

Would you like to see your ideas about art on the walls of Tate Britain? We're asking visitors to write about any work of art on display at Tate Britain which especially interests them. We'll pick about thirty of the most interesting comments and use them as captions in the gallery.

They will be on view at Tate Britain from 20 September 2004, the start of British Art Week.

Write Your Own Label

The Cholmondeley Ladies circa 1600-10 painting Presented anonymously 1955

According to the inscription (bottom left), this painting shows 'Two Ladies of the Cholmondeley Family, Who were born the same day, Married the same day, And brought to Bed [gave birth] the same day'. To mark this dynastic event, they are formally presented in bed, their babies wrapped in scarlet fabric. Identical at a superficial glance, the lace, jewellery and eye colours of the ladies and infants are in fact carefully differentiated. The format echoes tomb sculpture of the period. The ladies, whose precise identities are unclear, were probably painted by an artist based in Chester, near the Cholmondeley estates.
(From the display caption February 2004)

Note > I am also searching for several valuable family portraits which have dissapeared (they are mine, it's a long story), possibly sold by a dealer to an unsuspecting person or put up for auction with a false provenance. If you have any info I can send photos and a more detailed description. If this leads to anything I shall give you a reward.

One of them is of this chap, although not this actual picture.

Montague Cholmeley (1743-1852)

Also Katharine Cholmeley, full length in a red and blue dress by Lely or Kneller.

A lady with a white feather head ornament.

A lady with a lace collar.

francaiszen - la vie

We at dinnerpoint have done something that we think is pretty unique and groundbreaking. We organize and list online 100s of dinner meetups in cities around the world - for 'in the know' people.

artzen - art culture info expo

Painting Reproduced Courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library

The British Library is putting online 93 high-resolution digitised copies of 21 of Shakespeare's plays.via...BBC

British Library - On this site you will find the British Library's 93 copies of the 21 plays by Shakespeare printed in quarto before the theatres were closed in 1642.

Shakespeare Oxford Society - The theory that he was in fact the Earl of Oxford

Project Gutenberg - Download - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The Globe Theater

The Royal Shakespeare Company

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

On 11 October 2004 an international conference on the theme of 'human progress' will take place at the Royal Albert Hall.

The RSA has unveiled the programme for its international conference, ‘A Day of Inspiration', which will deal with the significant challenges set out in its new manifesto.

The debate will feature a number of high-profile speakers including RSA Fellows and medallists.

Click here to find out more.

I am so pleased that the art world finally appreciates this super artist. It has been embarassing the way in which his work has been scathed at by certain art "experts" over the years. David Ogilvy once said "The consumer isn't stupid she's your wife".

The largest collection of works by the artist Jack Vettriano to go under the hammer has fetched almost £2.7 million. Following fierce bidding, the total of 40 paintings fetched £2.653m at auction. The highest bid was for Mad Dogs, one of his early works, which become the second most expensive Vettriano ever sold...more...via the Scotsman

See the catalogue of Sotheby's annual Scottish sale at Gleneagles in Perthshire.