The Fascination of Blue Plaques, BBC needs new chair and Chatting and Meeting in West Ealing

When I was in town on Wednesday I spotted another Blue Plaque, this one to Stella and Fanny famed at one time as  Victorian  Cross Dressers - what a fascinating story  lies behind it.

It seems that Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park were the real life Hinge and Bracket of their day, 'performing' as a couple of ladies before being brought to court and charged "with conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence".

How great are these London Plaques?- Each one tells a story of intrigue and brings history to life - let's have more!

Lord Patten Steps Down from BBC Chair

The news that the head of the BBC Trust has stepped  after major hear surgery has given Sajid Javid the new DCMS minister his first major challenge in the new job.

After something of a lacklustre 3 years in post Lord Patten has been told to take it easy and perhaps now is the time for a more active figure to shake things up at the BBC, Lord Hall the current DG is a majorly  establishment type and it could be that it's time for a bit of grit to be introduced into the top tier of the UK state ordained media monolith?

Ex Sony Boss Howard Stringer has the right credentials and experience and Peter  Bazalgette would be another possible if he wasn't doing such a good job at The Arts Council - be interesting to see if a woman is in the running too (Marjorie Scardino has been spoken of as a possible candidate too).

 OPEN Ealing adds a  Chat and Meet 

I have often sung the praises of OPEN Ealing's art prgramme masterminded by Nick Pearson  and after a quiet period the facility  has  been reactivated by the addition of a daily coffee shop.

Chat and Meet is at  13 Drayton Green Road  it's being run by Geoff and Gita and is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 to 4:30 for hot beverages and conversation.   

Chat and Meet  has  hot drinks at affordable prices and the plan is to run classes including art, personal skill building, poetry reading, and book clubs - they're after ideas . Come in and  discuss with them  ideas for events to run at Chat and Meet. 

Coffee houses can epitomise a public sphere as Habermas envisaged, they don't have to be just a  bland money making machine with multi-national owners who  avoid paying taxes(like Caffé Nero).

For Further enquiries,  please email Gita and Geoff