THE PHOENIX GARDEN YOUTUBE VLOG NOW LIVE!

  My Phoenix Garden YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/kumbHBOnHhw

The Phoenix Garden sits in an area of central London known as St Giles and, when you're in here it's hard to believe that you're just seconds away from the busy heart of London.  This community garden was established in 1984, and is funded through donations and grants.  There were once seven community gardens in the West End of London, but now there's only this one.  

The charity is run from their multi-purpose building, which was completed in 2016.  It also hosts community and education workshops, and can be hired for corporate events.  The garden sits on land that had been in use as a car park, which itself stood on the site of a World War II bombing.  The site was once the place of many homes and even a pub, but had been used as a fly tip and needed to be cleared.  Rubble was passed through a mini-crusher by volunteers, and this was used to create paths and raised flower beds.  

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you several nooks, a swing, a beautiful mural and some repurposed odds-and-sods, including a mannequin and a (fake!) horse's head.  I'll also show you a pretty little pond, which apparently houses the West End's only frog population.

I have also blogged about this garden, and here's the link:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2026/02/miss-elaineous-visits-phoenix-garden.html

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The Miss Elaineous

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A MAN OF HONOUR by BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

 A MAN OF HONOUR

by

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

THE BLURB:

Orphaned and alone, 13-year-old Shane O'Neill, known to the world as Blackie, must leave County Kerry to find work.

His only chance of survival lies with his late mother's brother, far away in Leeds. There, amid the noise and bustle, Blackie's spark of ambition becomes a flame.

And then, high on the Yorkshire moors, in the mists of a winter morning, he meets a kitchen maid called Emma Harte. And as the Victorian age gives way to the freedom of the Edwardian age, so a young man and a servant girl seize a chance, against the odds, to build a better life...

THE REALITY:

This is the prequel to A Woman of Substance, which remains my most favourite book ever. I saw the first mini-series back in 1985, and it really moved me; I've since re-watched it several times, and read the book three times in total. Coincidentally, I also read A Man of Honour just as the new TV A Woman of Substance series was broadcast. This new series is extremely lacking and they've altered the storyline (for the worse!) and succumbed to ridiculous box-ticking. It's a parody of the original and, although some of the filming/ scenery is breathtaking, I think it's best avoided.

Back to this book, and I sped through it, really enjoying reading about what shaped Blackie (who ended up being Emma Harte's best friend- for those of you not in the know, she's our A Woman of Substance heroine). I did feel, however, that the storyline was rushed, and not properly expanded upon. For example we have Gwen, who disappears. But do we ever find out what happened to her? No, and it seems very odd to leave her story unfinished. Also, the courtship between Robert and Vanessa could have been explored in more depth, as could how his divorce from the rotten Lucinda panned out; and indeed her character in general. Angela's death seemed an all-too-convenient way of getting rid of her, and Blackie's feelings towards dealing with the loss of his first love (lust?!) were, unrealistically, not fully documented. Adrian's relationship with Moira was not looked into properly, and neither was her parentage or the reasons behind her mother's affair. This book was one long line of missed literary opportunities.

I did like many of the characters, however, and loved that Vanessa, Angela and Marguerite were sexually forward. I do love a hussy, and I'm glad that it's not assumed that all women form the early 1900s were morally upstanding when it came to following their hearts and bodies!

Finally, we get to the end chapters, where the Emma Harte, as we know her, is introduced. I know Barbara Taylor Bradford was in her late 80s when she wrote this book, but was she senile? Or was she drunk? There are serious discrepancies here! In AWOS Gerald Fairley was the elder son, and Edwin Fairley the second son- so why have these family placings now been reversed, with Edwin now documented as being the eldest? And why is Adele Fairley, who is mentioned as having silvery blonde hair in AWOS (a trait inherited by her ancestors; Edwina and Tessa) now a dark-haired woman? I think a ghostwriter may have written this book and, if that's the case, then they really should have read AWOS, and Barbara Taylor Bradford's editing team should have been on the ball. As we lead into Emma Harte's life, nothing particularly new is mentioned except that I don't think she would have told her landlady her father was still alive- it doesn't fit in with the original storyline, where she and her “husband” have no relatives between them. Also, the ending is a bit nondescipt.

This book is okay, but it could have been way, way, more.

VAGINA MUSEUM YOUTUBE VLOG NOW LIVE!

 My Vagina Museum YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/k7V04hum4W8

The Vagina Museum is in Bethnal Green, London, and is the world's first museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the gynaecological anatomy.  The point of it is to create understanding, awareness, and build a society where no one is ashamed of their body.  The museum is small and quite simply curated.  It is clearly a work in progress and everything can be viewed in under half an hour.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you a giant, sparkly tampon (would that make it a glampon?!) and an actual, real uterus displayed in one of their three galleries.  Educational and anatomical boards invite you to name intimate details of the female anatomy, and a vulva cushion and vulva art is on display.  They also have a shop, where I found a rather interesting necklace...

I have also blogged about this museum before (it contains a photo of a rather interesting vulva mirror!), and here's the link:-
https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2024/11/miss-elaineous-visits-vagina-museum.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

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The Miss Elaineous

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YOUTUBE WELLCOME COLLECTION VLOG NOW LIVE!

 My Wellcome Collection YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/OxZStB-dkLg

The Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library in Euston, London, exploring health and the human experience. Aside from their fixed exhibition, entitled Being Human- where you can sniff a sculpture that's supposed to smell like human breast milk, and play with a pandemic jukebox- they also have temporary galleries. One of these contains a banging drum nose sculpture and blow-up arms that are references to deafness and the need to communicate, and the other contains a birth scroll dating from 1500 AD. The latter exhibition has quite a harrowing feel about it; as it's about prayers and cultural, spiritual rituals that were- and to some extent still are- put in place to protect the mother and baby during childbirth.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you these, plus a truly fantastic reading room, with comfy, slob-out cushions. They also have a red fake fur neural tube dress, and a ballgown made of 6,000 contraceptive pills. This museum is certainly not boring!

I have also blogged about this collection before (it contains photos of some interesting medical instruments, which are no longer in the museum, so you'll enjoy it), and here's the link:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2019/12/miss-elaineous-visits-wellcome.html

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The Miss Elaineous

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THE CASUAL VACANCY by J.K.ROWLING

 THE CASUAL VACANCY

by

J.K. ROWLING

THE BLURB:

In the idyllic small town of Pagford, a councillor dies and leaves a “casual vacancy”- an empty seat on the parish council.

In the election for his successor that follows, it is clear that behind the pretty surface this is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, wives at war with husbands, teachers at war with pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.

From the smallest of elections in a sleepy British town, J.K. Rowling conjures an epic, emotional and completely readable tale that has had millions of readers hooked.

THE REALITY:

This was the first J. K. Rowling book I have ever read. Had I been a child when the Harry Potter series was released, then I would have devoured them as they would have been right up my street. But I was an adult and, by that stage, not in the least bit interested in fantasy or sci-fi. Incidentally, I've not seen any of the Harry Potter films, nor the television adaption of The Casual Vacancy. This looked to be quite a tome, and I'm a big fan of a tome/ saga. So therefore I was quite surprised (given that and the author's credentials) to find that I couldn't finish this book. I didn't even get half way, and what I did read was a struggle to enjoy.

I'll start with the positives... The characters are varied in nature, interesting and well-described. They are also universally unlikeable, but I don't hold that against a novel- after all, I love Wuthering Heights, and just about every person in that classic is despicable. The sections were also relatively short, so the book was well-paced, and shifted along nicely (despite the subject matter dragging, if that makes sense.) But... The storyline did not enthral me. I mean, the thread of a councillor dying and having to be re-elected seems just so banal and pointless. It's hardly like a whodunnit, when the race is on to find the perpetrator, or a rags-to-riches story where you're interested in finding out if the main character succeeds. Also, the location of Pagford did not charm me in the least (maybe that's because I'm not familiar with village life?) What is it with these “famous” novels and me? Another book I had to put down was Zadie Smith's acclaimed White Teeth. And I think this has offered me the solution to my lack of interest- both books were just too gritty and real. When I read a novel I seek escapism- if I want real life then all I have to do is open my front door.

A bookseller said to me, when I mentioned that I was struggling to get through this book, “There are millions of great novels out there- if you're not enjoying the one you're reading, then just put it down and pick up something else.” So that's exactly what I did. Maybe one of you can give me your opinion of this book?

YOUTUBE VIKTOR WYND MUSEUM OF CURIOSITIES VLOG NOW LIVE!

  My Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/ZZMYfNSR6qA

Friends, fellow oddballs and downright weirdos... Roll up! Roll up! Join me for the thrill of a lifetime!

Today I've been to the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, which is in Hackney, East London. The building it is situated in is home to The Last Tuesday Society, which puts on literary and creative events with a macabre twist, such as seances; masquerade balls and taxidermy classes. Upstairs they have an atmospheric cocktail parlour, and that decadent, late 19^th century artists' poison- absinthe- features on their menu.

A warning to the curious- if you're easily offended, with delicate sensibilities, then don't come here or watch the video! If, however, you are as disgusting and perverted as I am, then you will love this museum.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you shrunken heads; animal skeletons; a chocolate John Major; an eight legged sheep and a two-headed sheep. I will also show you a jar containing Madonna's panty liner (yes, really), a box containing Russell Brand's pubes, and a jar containing Amy Winehouse's poo, which you can sniff for an additional fiver!

I have also blogged about this museum, and here's the link:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2018/12/miss-elaineous-visits-viktor-wynd.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

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The Miss Elaineous

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MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE PHOENIX GARDEN...

The Phoenix Garden sits in an area of central London known as St Giles.  It's at the end of Phoenix Street and behind the Phoenix Theatre, hence its name.  It is free to enter and is open seven days a week, from dawn till dusk.  It is right near busy Charing Cross Road, its nearest Tube station is Tottenham Court Road and, when you're in here it's hard to believe that you're just seconds away from the busy heart of London.

Here is the entrance, and this community garden was established in 1984, and is a registered charity, funded through donations and grants.

The multi-purpose building at the bottom of this section was completed in 2016, and was designed by architect Gurmeet Sian.  The charity is run from here, it hosts community and education workshops and it can also be hired for corporate events and other occasions, such as birthdays.

You can even get married here if you wish, as the garden is a registered Camden wedding venue.  A gazebo can be erected over this grassy section to extend the space and offer shelter for your guests.

The garden is thick with trees and shrubs, and objects such as this battered horsey add to its charm...💓

This looks like a bird bath/ drinking utensil, and the garden is home to an urban wildlife population...

This mannequin has seen better days!

Plants are being propegated in this mini-greenhouse...

Looking back towards the entrance, and I had a go on the swing to the right...

I always wanted one of these as a kid!  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the swing doesn't swing that far back, as its movement is marred by the fence...

The plants are for sale, and here's the price list...

Herbs and what looks like a mini-Christmas tree...

There were once seven community gardens in the West End of London...

...Now there is only this one...

Some of the plants are clearly labelled, so you can find out what you're looking at... 

This is a little nook, and the garden was established on land that had been in use as a car park...

The car park itself stood on the site of a World War II bombing...

This larger nook is by the community building...

The site was once the place of many homes and even a pub...

A cute seating area, and the garden was designed with one eye on sustainability...

Before 2016 re-landscaping, the garden had been used as a fly-tipping site...

The pretty pond, and the garden apparently houses the West End's only frog population...

I had a good gawp, but the frogs were not comin' out to play on this rather cold day!

Archway to the end of the garden, and compacted rubble and earth had to be removed before re-landscaping could begin...

A little path to another nook, and many on-site materials were re-used.  Rubble was passed through a mini-crusher by volunteers, as building waste removal is incredibly costly...

I love the mural on the building over the road, overlooking the garden...💗

This bench dictates: "I like worms and woodlice."

The crushed rubble was used to construct raised flower beds, and wheelchair/ pram friendly paths...

I like the way that the odds-and-sods contaminating the garden have been repurposed...

This pink wheelbarrow- a donation from cosmetics firm Benefit, no doubt- adds a spash of colour amongst the greenery...

Brickwork path...

The far end of the garden, and a 20 year lease on the land was signed in 2015 (following nine years of negotiations); so the garden's safe from being sold off to developers- for now.

The garden was able to be re-designed, with the new community building replacing a mice-infested concrete shed, after receiving a £300,000 grant.

"100,000 greenfly = 1 blue tit."

This quirky reference serves as a reminder that blue tits keep the greenfly population down, negating the need for chemical fertilisers.

 

Finches have also been spotted in the garden- maybe they like to come and play in this hanging contraption here?😊

It was a very chilly day when I visited, although there were a couple of other people in the garden as well.  To use a cliché, this garden is a real oasis of charm, and a hidden gem and then some!  If I worked in the area I would take advantage of it by visiting whenever I could.

I know the name of the garden reflects the area in which it sits, but its name is apt- it really is like the mythical tale of the phoenix rising from the ashes- or in this case, the rubble!

Here's my final view down the length of the garden.

The Phoenix Garden, I will return!

Until then,

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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YOUTUBE MANOR PARK CEMETERY & CREMATORIUM VIDEO NOW LIVE!

  My Manor Park Cemetery & Crematorium YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/3htrfaEtlCA

Manor Park Cemetery & Crematorium sits in the East End of London. It is a beautifully kept cemetery; although it does have older, more interesting and more sunken graves on site, complete with wonky tombstones. Dating back to 1874, a heritage trail consisting of 20 notable graves and landmarks was introduced in 2024, to mark 150 years of the cemetery's existence.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you the grave of Annie Chapman- the second of Jack the Ripper's victims- although the siting is approximate as she was buried in a public grave which has since been reused. Nearby is the rather sad site of another Chapman, Sarah, who married and later became Sarah Dearman. She played a leading role in the 1888 Bryant & May matchgirls' strike, and was one of the pioneers of the trade union movement. Aside from the part-Victorian/ part-modern chapel and crematorium, there is a columbarium, a memorial pavilion and more than one war memorial.

But the piece de resistance has to be the granite tomb in the shape of a BMW convertible, which weighed one ton and had to be lowered into position by crane. It commemorates car fanatic Steve Marsh, and has to be the most stupendous tombstone I have ever seen!

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The Miss Elaineous

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YOUTUBE CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY AND CREMATORIUM VIDEO NOW LIVE!

  My City of London Cemetery & Crematorium YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/empTMTl875c

The City of London Cemetery & Crematorium is in the East End of London, equidistant between Ilford and Manor Park Stations on the Elizabeth line. It dates from 1856 and is very much a working cemetery. It is Grade I listed, 200 acres in size and is said to hold over 1 million burials. Wow!

I ventured in for some macabre nosy-parkering on a dank, damp, January day. I wandered up to the church and the chapel, slipped inside the columbarium, and saw both the modern and traditional crematoriums (the latter does have a foreboding look about it- but then I suppose a crematorium is not going to be the most pleasant place on earth!)

Come and take a walk in my shoes and we'll take a look at some of the well-known people interred here. Aside from the cemetery's engineer and designer, William Haywood- who is housed in a grand mausoleum- it is also home to football legend Bobby Moore; actress Dame Anna Neagle; two of Jack the Ripper's victims and the Elephant Man.

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The Miss Elaineous

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THE FORGOTTEN COTTAGE by HELEN PHIFER

 THE FORGOTTEN COTTAGE

by

HELEN PHIFER

THE BLURB:

Things finally seem to be looking up for police office Annie Graham. After a tumultuous couple of years, she is settling into a normal and happy life. Her wedding is fast approaching, and her fiance Will has found a forgotten but beautiful cottage for them to make their own.

But as Annie begins to have increasingly vivid nightmares, she realises their new home may not be as unoccupied as it first seemed. Her arrival has stirred up the ghosts of a tragic past, and she needs to put them to rest once and for all.

But while Annie's distracted, another threat is emerging from the shadows. And if she doesn't act fast, her days may be numbered...

THE REALITY:

I flattened this book rather quickly, so it must have had something going for it, but I did feel like there were things left unexplored, and also unnecessary arcs to the storyline. The idea of the haunted cottage was thrilling, and explored just nicely within the modern and historic time frames, and I loved the character of evil, unmaternal Betsy! But why was the story behind Annie's wedding dress not expanded upon? She's a psychic, who had a “feel” for the dress, so that's something that could have been examined. I also didn't see the need for the Henry and Megan characters at all. Incidentally, I couldn't help but think of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle whenever I read about them, and this raised a smile (the book predates their romance). I gather that this book is part of a series, and that the author was kind of setting the scene for the next book (I say “kind of” because this story ends with the Harry and Megan duo capturing a woman, but the blurb for the next book indicates a vanishing man as their first victim). On the plus side, they are both truly horrible characters, and characterisation throughout this book appeared to be strong.

The author states influences such as James Herbert, and tries to create scary books, and this did have a good level of suspense; in particular with (spoiler alert!) Will's half-sister, kidnapper Amelia. I also enjoyed reading about Will's dad, his partner and his house, so the descriptions made the book come alive. I would definitely give this author another go, but I wouldn't rush to do so. The book was light, and an easy size to to pop into my handbag. Annie and Will are interesting characters but just didn't grab my heart.  

YOUTUBE DALSTON CURVE GARDEN VLOG NOW LIVE!

   My Dalston Curve Garden YouTube vlog is now live!

Link:-

https://youtu.be/lQWg2OXf4eY

This is a really special, secretive place, tucked away behind the urban hustle and bustle of Hackney.

Dalston Curve Garden is also often referred to as Dalston Eastern Curve Garden- that's because it sits on the site of the old Eastern Curve railway line, which closed in 1944. It is repurposed space, and it serves a real community need in providing a green environment for people who might not have access to their own garden.

Opened in 2010, this delightful garden offers numerous social, environmental and health benefits to the local population, and provides somewhere for people to join in activities, relax, and hopefully make friends. The garden funds itself through its licensed cafe, which is a not-for-profit social enterprise. You can buy beer, cider, wine and spirits here, they also have their own pizza oven and even sell Queen of Hearts cookies!

Come and take a walk in my shoes through this hidden gem, and see if this Queen of Tarts was tempted by the cookies!

I have also blogged about Dalston Curve Garden, link:-https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2025/11/miss-elaineous-visits-dalston-curve.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

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The Miss Elaineous

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