On my radar: Monty Don’s cultural highlights
Born in 1955 in West Germany and raised in Hampshire, Monty Don studied English literature at the University of Cambridge.After running a costume jewellery business in the 80s, he was the Observer’s gardening editor from 1994 to 2006.He has presented Gardeners’ World since 2003, as well as his own series including Around the World in 80 Gardens and Monty Don’s Japanese Gardens.He lives in Herefordshire with his wife, Sarah; they have three children.He has published 27 books, the latest of which is Spanish Gardens (BBC Books, £39.
99), with photography by Derry Moore, is out now,The Place of Tides by James RebanksJames Rebanks writes like a dream,This book is about a group of people in the north of Norway, on a small archipelago of islands I didn’t even know existed,Historically, families would make nests for the ducks and then would gather the eider and duck down, which was very valuable, and they would sell it,He spends time particularly with one old lady.
The book is slow and incredibly arcane and niche, but it’s based upon both minute perception and a very deep sense of place, and the interweaving of historical mythology and modern-day present life.Encounters, Royal Opera HouseThis is atypical for me, because I don’t go out much, but the other day I went to the Royal Opera House and loved it.It was four contemporary ballets, and the last two were wonderful – one called Dusk, with choreography by Joseph Toonga and music by Marina Moore.What was fantastic about The Statement, by Crystal Pite, was that they were dancing to speech, not music.I quite like that ballet is so removed from my world – I’m such a clumsy oaf, so the concept of moving your body with grace and incredible athleticism and precision is fascinating.
The Franchise (Sky Comedy/Now)I don’t watch much television, but I do watch a lot of box sets and series, both when I’m travelling and when I’m exercising.All the usual culprits: The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad.I’m watching The Franchise at the moment, which is incredibly witty and clever and brilliant.It’s about the making of a superhero franchise – I’ve never watched a superhero film in my life – and it’s absurd in its execution, but it also captures the utter, complete chaos and cynicism of the studio.I mean, it’s Armando Iannucci, so the pedigree is very good.
Sign up to ObservedAnalysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotionGabriel’s Moon by William BoydWhat I love about audiobooks is I often listen to them when I’m gardening or walking the dog, which I do a lot of.Gabriel’s Moon was the last one I listened to – I’m a sucker for spy/thriller stories.Boyd is brilliant at writing these great sweeping books where he takes fictional characters but ties them in with real people and events.He is at the top of his game: he really does combine, as in a way does Robert Harris and so did John le Carré, really fine writing with absolutely riveting storytelling.Eating inI travel a lot for work, which means three meals out a day, so I probably had about 400 restaurant meals in the last year.
My real food pleasure is to get the best fruit and vegetables from the garden and some really nice cheese or meat from a local butcher,To put together a simple meal at home, at my kitchen table with my wife, to me, is the greatest possible luxury,Recently we made a radicchio salad with blue cheese and toasted walnuts, and Sarah cooked some chard with cream sauce,I’d rather do that than go to any restaurant in the world,Maddy Prior – Sing Lustily & with Good CourageI heard one of Maddy Prior’s songs on Desert Island Discs, so I downloaded this album and it sounds fantastic.
She’s got the most wonderful, strong voice.These are hymns, and I’m not particularly religious, but they have an incredible sort of verve and purity.It reminded me of Friday nights in the early 70s, when the whole pub would stand around the piano and sing.Maddy Prior has distilled that sense of everybody singing together – something that was chaotic, slightly drunken, but good fun – into something rather purer, but the essence of that is still there.Jeff Koons’s Puppy (at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao)I know half the world thinks this is a monstrosity, but I thought it was rather wonderful.
It’s made from more than 38,000 flowers, and I think it’s a funny, brave work of art.I saw it in late June, at the peak of its summer garb, but I’ve seen photographs of it in winter and it looked totally different.I think a lot of Jeff Koons’s stuff is ghastly, but that’s why I liked it – it’s always good to have your prejudices challenged.I went to mock and came away applauding.
P&O Ferries spent £47m on mass layoffs amid financial woes, accounts show
P&O Ferries spent more than £47m on sacking hundreds of UK seafarers in 2022, according to its long overdue accounts that will be published in the coming days.The filings, which the Guardian has seen, confirm the financial cost of the company’s actions two and a half years ago when it outraged the public and parliament by dismissing 786 mainly British ferry workers – and then largely replacing them with low-cost agency staff from countries including India, the Philippines and Malaysia.The scandal re-emerged last month when the prime minister, Keir Starmer, rebuked his transport secretary, Louise Haigh, after she referred to the ferry operator as a “rogue operator”. DP World, P&O’s Dubai-based owner, had reportedly threatened to pull out of a £1bn investment in the UK on the back of the comments.P&O had always argued it had been forced into the sackings in order to save the company
US inflation rises to 2.6% in October; Post Office closures put 2,000 jobs at risk – as it happened
Time to wrap things up.A key measure of US inflation has risen for the first time since March, underlining its bumpy ride down to lower levels.The consumer price index (CPI), which measures price growth across a basket of goods, ticked up to an annual pace of 2.6% in October – from 2.4% in September, which had been the slowest rate in more than three years
Post Office plan to close 115 branches and cut jobs condemned as ‘immoral’
The Post Office plans to close more than 100 branches and says about 2,000 jobs are at risk in a move that has been condemned by unions as “tone deaf and immoral” after the Horizon IT scandal.The Post Office confirmed on Wednesday it was seeking to offload 115 branches, known as crown post offices, it centrally owns, but said it expected to maintain the total network at 11,500 branches across the UK.The plans come against the backdrop of the public inquiry into Horizon , described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK history.The closures put at risk approximately 1,000 jobs, although the Post Office expects that all the branches will be refranchised to new owners over the next five years.Approximately 2,000 branches are operated by partners including Tesco, WH Smith and Morrisons, and about 9,000 are run by independent operators that have a contract with the Post Office
It’s time for the RBA to admit its fears of a wage-price spiral were misguided – and cut interest rates | Grogonomics
The latest wage growth figures should make the Reserve Bank cut rates in December as their absurd worries about a wage-price spiral have been completely blown to bits.Six years ago, Gareth Hutchens and I wrote a special report titled “Whatever happened to wage rises in Australia?” It’s kind of annoying how well it holds up.On Wednesday the latest wage price index figures revealed that in the past year private sector wages rose 3.5%, down from 4.1% in the June quarter
Key US inflation measure ticks higher for first time since March
A key measure of US inflation has risen for the first time since March, underlining its bumpy ride down to lower levels.The consumer price index (CPI), which measures price growth across a basket of goods, ticked up to an annual pace of 2.6% in October – from 2.4% in September, which had been the slowest rate in more than three years.Stripping out volatile food and energy costs, the closely watched “core” inflation index held firm at 3
Klarna chooses New York over London for much-anticipated IPO
The buy now, pay later company Klarna has filed for a much-anticipated flotation in the US, a move that marks another blow for the London market.The Swedish fintech firm confirmed on Wednesday morning that it had “confidentially submitted” an application to the US Securities and Exchange Commission “relating to the proposed initial public offering of its ordinary shares”.Klarna, which is one of the world’s largest buy now, pay later (BNPL) companies, said the price range for its proposed IPO and the number of shares that would be offered was yet to be determined. The firm is expected to easily fetch a multibillion-pound valuation.The company, which was founded in Sweden in 2005, hit a peak valuation of $46bn (£36bn) after a funding round led by Japan’s SoftBank in 2021
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