The Idler

Idler’s Grove Now Open for Tea, Coffee, Cake and Contemplation

19 May 2012

The Idler’s Grove, our lovely medieval herb garden, is now open. Designed by Angela Newman, the garden is inspired by various depictions of the “herber” in illuminated manuscripts. This was a small enclosed garden designed for retreat, contemplation, talking about love and listening to the lute. As well as enjoying coffee and cake in our grove, you can buy potted herbs. And check out the willow arch by Judith Needham around the front door. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday: 10am till 6.30pm; Sunday 11am till 5pm. Closed Mondays.

The project is part of the Chelsea Fringe, and you can read more about it in today’s Telegraph.

 

Thursday 17th May: The Beauty In The Beast

11 May 2012

Hedghog enthusiast and eccentric creature fanatic, Hugh Warwick, returns to the Idler Academy with an ebullient and hilarious look at some of the more sidelined oddities of the animal kingdom.

To read more: CLICK HERE
To book: CLICK HERE or call the shop on 0207 221 5908

Book Now for The Hidden History of Glamour!

There are still some places left to discover the secrets of the sartorial world with fashion doyenne NJ Stevenson this coming Wednesday.

To book CLICK HERE or call the shop on 0207 221 5908

Now Booking: Celestial Music with the Society of Strange and Ancient Musical Instruments

23 April 2012

Please join us on Sunday 13 May at 6pm for an evening of heavenly music with the Society of Strange and Ancient Musical Instruments. This is a very special live preview of their new album, The Ministry of Angels, and will explore all sorts of angelic tunes from the old days on the harp, hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer and extraordinary basses. Wine and nibbles are included in the price. As ever, please book well in advance as space is limited. Tickets are priced at £15 or £10 for members and concessions. You can book online by clicking here, or book by telephone on 0207 221 5908. Or to read more, click here.

Charles Hazlewood at the Idler Academy!

19 April 2012

We are thrilled to welcome the one and only Charles Hazlewood, conductor extraordinaire and one of our foremost promoters of classical music for an event at the Idler Academy.

Charles will be presenting an event called “Six Degrees of Separation”. In this fascinating show, Charles will draw a tangible and hugely enjoyable link between JS Bach & The Prodigy, through five other ‘degrees’ or tracks along the way. Through anecdote, illustration and above all some kickarse good music, Charles’s event speaks equally to the musically-literate and the music-shy.

It takes place on Wednesday 9 May and you can book your ticket by clicking here. Or just call us on 0207 221 5908 to reserve your place.

Theology Course Starts Monday!

14 April 2012

This is a reminder that Dr Mark Vernon’s eight week theology course starts this Monday. Click here to read more about this fascinating series.

Ukulele Course Part Two Starts Monday 14 May

This is the ideal course for those pupils who have graduated from our ukulele for beginners course, or for anyone who knows a few chords but would like to accelerate their playing on to the next stage.

Danny Wootton’s course will cover theory as well as practice, and will feature guest appearances from Idler Academy Head of Minstrelsy Michael Tyack, who will teach you simple medieval and Renaissance chord progressions and plucked melodies. Head Master Tom Hodgkinson will also contribute to the odd lesson. You will of course also learn how to play well-known pop songs. The course will end with a party and a performance from the group.

Our ukulele courses are enormous fun and very satisfying. Your playing will advance far more quickly than if you were only self-taught.

The course runs over eight weeks.

Dates: Monday 14 May and every Monday till Monday 9 July (skipping Monday 4 June)

Time: 6.30pm till 8pm

Place: The Idler Academy, 81 Westbourne Park Road, London W2 5QH

Benefits: notebook, pencil, 10% off ukulele related items from the shop, e.g. ukes, strings, tuners, books etc

Cost: Just £175 or £150 for members and concessions. Click here to book or Call 0207 221 5908 to book at the lower rate.

This Sunday: Foraging in the City with Robin Harford

13 April 2012

Join our amazing Edible London course this Sunday, ands find free food in the urban byways. Wild food is the ultimate in seasonal produce, and historically has always been a source of food for city people. Foraging re-awakens your senses so you gain a greater appreciation of your environment, whether urban or rural, and your place in the natural cycles and rhythms of life.

On our Edible London course, you’ll uncover a secret world of foraging possibilities, and learn…

• How to identify wild edible plants
• About their mystery, history and folklore
• How to forage sustainably, safety guidelines, and the law

The course is led by expert forager Robin Harford. Robin harvests wild edible plants on a daily basis for his family, as well as supplying local restaurants. He is creator of the UK’s leading wild food site Eatweeds.co.uk, and teaches at Eden Project. Robin has been featured in BBC2′s Edwardian Farm, the BBC Good Food magazine, Guardian, GQ etc.

Sunday 15 April, 11am till 5pm.

Meet at the Idler Academy, 81 Westbourne Park Road, London W2 at 10.45am sharp.

Course benefits: teas, coffees, light lunch using foraged produce, Academy exercise book and pencil. 10% discount on books from the Academy bookshop.

Course price: £85.

To book please click here or call us on 020 7221 5908, 10am to 6.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. You can also book on the shop website here and avoid the booking fee.

Vedic Mathematics Course

We are thrilled to announce our new Vedic Mathematics course with James Glover. This wonderful 9 week course will introduce you to the fascinating world of sutras for maths. It will fascinate and delight you, and above all will end your fear of maths for ever and indeed will implant a new love of numbers. Call us on 0207 221 5908 to book the whole course for £200 or a single lesson for £30, or click here. We are also offering a discounted rate to Idler Academy members and those eligible for a concessionary rate. Click here to read more.

Tonight: Clouds with Gavin Pretor-Pinney

11 April 2012

We have a few tickets left for the incomparably brilliant Gavin Pretor-Pinney’s talk on cloudspotting tonight. Gavin will be signing copies of his new book, Clouds That Look Like Things. £20 or £15 concs. Includes wine and nibbles. Call 0207 221 5908 now to reserve your place, or book online here.

Tom in Paris

06 April 2012

THANKS to Sylvia Whitman and Jemma Birrell for hosting a talk with me at the wonderful Shakespeare & Co in Paris on Monday. Strangely a report of the evening has appeared in the Jakarta Globe, and you can read it here. TH

Maundy Thursday, 5 April: A Night of Merriment

04 April 2012

Come along, one and all, for a night of merriment at the Idler Academy. To celebrate Maundy Thursday, we are throwing a little party. Sambrook’s Brewery have generously provided a barrel of ale, and we feature Tom Hodgkinson on the tin can ukulele, fresh from his triumphant appearance in Paris at the wonderful Shakespeare and Co bookshop. Michael Tyack and Jennifer Bennett will be playing Renaissance tunes on the virginal, ukulele master Danny Wootton will make an appearance, outsider DJ Carlos Slazenger will provide the tunes in between, and a merry night is guaranteed for all. At Club Idler Academy, drinks are free, and there’s enough for everyone, until it runs out. Click here to book your tickets.

Tonight: African Stories with Veronica Cecil and Chioma Okereke

In the second event of our Africa series, Veronica Cecil and Chioma Okereke will read exceprts from their books, Drums on the Night Air and Bitter Leaf and compare and contrast the Africa that inspired them. Veronica’s experience was of Colonial Congo, Chioma’s of contemporary Africa. Is the Africa they describe really so different? The talk will be introduced by Sir Timothy Ackroyd. BOOK NOW.

Tonight: The Battle of Isandhlwana

29 March 2012

Come to the first in Sir Timothy Ackroyd’s three part Africa series. Tonight we feature John Young with a lecture on The Battle of Isandhlwana of 1879, when the British suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Zulus. Sir Tim and and HRH Prince Shange, whose forbears fought on opposing sides, will contribute to the discussion. Book your seats now.

Tonight: Lecture on Sexuality and Sexual Healing with Mike Lousada

28 March 2012

Tonight’s lecture is with renowned psychosexual therapist Mike Lousada and is titled ‘Why Has Society Cut Itself Off From Sexuality?’. Mike has many high-profile fans including Naomi Wolf, and will soon appear on Newsnight. This is a great chance to hear him speak live and put your questions to him. Book now.

Tonight: Baroque Music Class with Sandy Burnett

27 March 2012

Join our class on baroque music tonight and enjoy the smooth Scottish brogue and musical erudition of Sandy Burnett. Click here.

Calligraphy Course Starts Tuesday 27 March

26 March 2012

We have three places left for our calligraphy course with the incomparable Christopher Austin. You will learn the art of beautiful italic handwriting in the cosy and charming surroundings of the Idler Academy. What joy! Click here to book.

Books in the Shop: Brave Old World for £6.50!

19 March 2012

Do browse some of the books we have on sale in our online shop. In particular please note that we are selling first editon hardback copies of Brave Old World at less than the price Amazon are asking for the paperback. Click here to buy.

Thursday 5 April: A Night of Merriment with Early Music and Fine Ale from Sambrook’s

Celebrate Maundy Thursday with a night of merriment featuring Michael Tyack, a barrel of ale and Tom on the ukulele.

Beer and wine are included in the price, and we are laying on a fantastic musical programme with early music played on the virginal and cittern by Michael Tyack and Jennifer Bennett.

The beer is a barrel of Wandle ale kindly supplied by Sambrook’s Brewery.

Here is the programme:

To Her Sweet Virginal His Cittern Rises – musick for springtime

Jennifer Bennett – virginal and voice
Michael Tyack – cittern and voice

The virginal is a smaller and simpler rectangular form of the harpsichord. The origin of the name is obscure. One theory derives it from the Latin virga meaning a rod, perhaps referring to the wooden jacks that rest on the ends of the keys; however, this theory is unproven. Another possibility is that the name derives from the instrument’s association with female performers, or its sound, which is like a young girl’s voice (vox virginalis). Other views are that the term comes from the word virgin, as it was most commonly played by young women, or that the name derives from the Virgin Mary as it was used by nuns to accompany hymns in honour of the Virgin.

Scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that the cittern descended from the Medieval Citole, or Cytole. It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and the modern Irish bouzouki. Its flat-back design was simpler and cheaper to construct than the lute. It was also easier to play, smaller, less delicate and more portable. Played by all classes, the cittern was a premier instrument of casual music making much as is the guitar today.The cittern is one of the few metal-strung instruments known from the Renaissance period. From the 16th until the 18th century the cittern was a common English barber shop instrument, kept in waiting areas for customers to entertain themselves and others with, and popular sheet music for the instrument was published to that end.

Michael and Jennifer will be performing a lively selection of popular tunes and lusty springtime ballads from the renaissance and baroque on this rarely heard combination of finely crafted instruments.

www.jenniferbennett.eu

Date: Thursday 5 April 2012

Time: 6.30m for 7pm. Until beer runs out.

Place: The Idler Academy, 81 Westbourne Park Road, London W2 5QH. Tel: 0207 221 5908

Cost: £10/7.50 concs. Click here to buy your ticket.

Monday 19th: The Epicureans with Mark Vernon

17 March 2012

Come along to our symposium with wine on the Epicureans, Monday 19 March. Says tutor Mark Vernon: ‘Hedonism is the philosophy for a consumer age, though Epicurus – the founder in the west of this strand of thought – would have critiqued our way of life severely. Pleasure is the central question for him, but the trick is to enjoy small pleasures rather than become addicted to ever bigger, unsustainable highs and kicks. Epicurus taught in a garden and wrote from matters such as friendship, to the atomic nature of matter.’ BOOK THIS LESSON.