The second coming of Honey Buzzard

12:14pm Friday 10th October 2008

HONEY Buzzard was undoubtedly the species of the month in September with a massive arrival of birds on the English east coast. A similar influx occurred in 2000 and most birdwatchers assumed this was a once in a lifetime event so this second arrival was quite remarkable.

Good reads for autumn range across the genres

12:08pm Friday 10th October 2008

NEW fiction on the shelves this month includes Anathem by Neal Stephenson (published in hardback by Atlantic Books, £18.99) which describes a world not unlike ours in which stand great Concents, secluded communities akin to monasteries, but devoted to science rather than faith.

Cutting back on costs should not mean losing the basic plot

12:06pm Friday 10th October 2008

WITH the credit crunch, increased unemployment and rising inflation, we are all feeling the pinch, but one place you can make cutbacks successfully is in the garden.

Shandy Hall wins grant and architectural accolade

12:02pm Friday 10th October 2008

THE trustees of Shandy Hall at Coxwold, the home of the 18th century novelist Laurence Sterne, are catching their breath after an exciting month in which the Heritage Lottery Fund announced a £200,000 grant.

Jill Kemp & Helen Reid, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland

12:03pm Friday 10th October 2008

THE recital by recorder player Jill Kemp and pianist Helen Reid revived memories of the 14-year-old Michala Petri in the mid-1970s, whose coruscating technique astounded all who heard her.

Margaret Fingerhut, Darlington Arts Centre

12:04pm Friday 10th October 2008

MARGARET Fingerhut’s programme at the start of Darlington Music Society’s 2008-9 season in the Arts Centre showed how her themed programme, Piano Landscapes, rather than the usual standard classic sonatas, can work effectively with a selection of shorter works.

More »