Joanna lumley 2000

Retiring Judge Joanna Maze, is looking forward to losing her anonymity in the South Canterbury community she loves but has remained at arm’s length from for the past 11 years. Maze, Timaru's resident District Court judge since September 2011, finished her final court sitting on Friday with "a courtesy farewell between bench and bar" and told The Timaru Herald she made the decision to retire "when I knew that I was beginning to run out of energy ... and a sense that I wanted to have some time left still to do things for myself". "It's a job where you have to maintain a degree of separateness in your life, and that does suit my personality, and this has been a wonderful community to be part of, but I'm ready to be more part of it and that isn't entirely consistent with being a judge in a small community,’’ she said. "South Canterbury really is a delightful community. The people have good values, it is a caring community, it is an ideal size. It's more like a big village really. … [Read more...] about South Canterbury community calling retiring District Court Judge Joanna Maze

Something happened last week that made me rather sad. The 600-year-old Bretton Oak, near Peterborough, one of the last survivors of Grimeshaw Woods, an ancient forest that once covered much of that part of the world, was felled after final desperate attempts to save it failed. This ancient tree, which had stood since the reign of Henry VI, was ripped apart by men with hi-vis jackets and chainsaws in a matter of minutes, to the horror of many locals. Its crime? The roots were allegedly causing ‘structural damage’ to nearby housing. Although, as one resident pointed out, that case was debatable. No matter. Insurance companies were refusing to underwrite the affected properties, and so the man from the council decreed that the oak had to go. Six centuries of history, a living organism that had outlasted kings, queens, plagues, war and famine, felled by petty bureaucracy. The Bretton Oak had stood since the reign of Henry VI Oh, it’s just an old tree, I hear you say. And … [Read more...] about SARAH VINE: Why felling old trees is an arrogant assault on history

Christopher Fry, who has died, aged 97, was, with TS Eliot, the leading figure in the revival of poetic drama that took place in Britain in the late 1940s. His most popular play, The Lady's Not For Burning, ran for nine months in the West End in 1949. But although Fry was a sacrificial victim of the theatrical revolution of 1956, he bore his fall from fashion with the stoic grace of a Christian humanist and increasingly turned his attention to writing epic films, most notably Ben Hur (1959). Fry, who was born in Bristol, came to the theatre via schoolteaching. He attended Bedford modern school, acted briefly in Bath, then taught at the Bedford Froebel kindergarten and at a preparatory school in Limpsfield, Surrey, before chucking it up to found the Tunbridge Wells Repertory Players in 1932. He ran the company for three years, directing the English premiere of Shaw's Village Wooing. He went on to write lyrics and music - including a song called I'll Snatch The Man From The Moon … [Read more...] about Christopher Fry

Thousands of pensioners will be able to more easily claim a free TV licence under a new shake-up confirmed by the Government. Free TV licences for over-75s were axed in 2020, except for those who claim Pension Credit . Under the current rules, everyone who is entitled to a free TV licence must send documentation to the BBC to prove they are in receipt of Pension Credit. But as part of a revamp of the system, the BBC will soon be able to verify this information with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It will mean, in most cases, households will only need to apply online or over the phone without any need to supply additional paperwork. A statutory instrument has been laid in Parliament today to amend the Television Licences Act 2000. Pensioners over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit can claim a free TV licence ( Image: Getty Images) The changes to the application process are expected to come into effect next year. A full colour TV licence … [Read more...] about New DWP shake-up will make it easier for pensioners to claim a free TV licence

Published 14 February 2014 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A portrait of Francis Bacon's former lover George Dyer has sold for £42.2m, smashing its pre-sale estimate of £28m. Christie's said the 6ft-tall artwork, entitled Portrait of George Dyer Talking, was the most valuable work of art it had sold in Europe. It was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder at Christie's Post War and Contemporary Art auction in London. Dyer died of an overdose in Paris two days before the painting was exhibited at a Bacon retrospective in 1971. Dyer and Bacon had become involved after Bacon caught Dyer burgling his house. The canvas depicts the artist's lover perched on a stool, his twisted body positioned under a naked light bulb. The 1966 painting is understood to have been sold by Mexican banker David Martinez Guzman. It last appeared on the open market in 2000, when it … [Read more...] about Francis Bacon portrait of lover fetches £42m