Tim Garratt's Blog

Shock horror this week as we have started delving in the packed lunches of kids! The Independent found … crisps and chocolate. The only real surprise was that 1 in 10 had vegetables in their lunch-boxes.

So, it seems we must intervene. Again. New rules will be written forbidding the Devils Food! I do accept that this is a difficult call, but kids are choosy when it comes to food. It seems they vote with their feet – and choose mars bars over carrots. Whilst trying to remain grown-up about this – I don’t blame them!

It was always an interesting moment at the end of term when you finally worked out that the smell in the hall was the rotted apples from numerous packed lunches in the kids school bags. They had ‘forgotten’ them.

Times have changed (but not that much?) – from the days of Enid Blyton when the Famous Five ate themselves to sleep on sandwiches washed down with lashings of Ginger Beer!

The storyline on Five on a hike together went,

The children eat gargantuan amounts of food throughout this story, possibly even more than usual. When they first start on a hike the kind lady in the village store makes them sandwiches. Her son, she says, has six sandwiches, or “twelve rounds of bread.” When she asks how many the children can handle, Julian tells her eight sandwiches each! And as Dick confirms, that’s sixteen rounds of bread for four people, so sixty-four slices.

Kids don’t have time now for falling asleep in fields – besides it’s not safe. The comfort of the Plasma screen and X-Box require a more chocolaty snack! As the saying goes ‘chocolate is the answer – now what’s the question’…

Last night when the squash club was too busy for us to get a court we retired to the pub – and one of the boys had Dandelion & Burdock. We discussed this as it is a ‘Marmite‘ sort of drink. As it happens I love it – as much as I love Marmite! It was more expensive than beer though!

I like most food, but I hate mushrooms (with a passion). Fungus from fields.

Turkish Delight is also food of the Devil – witness the Witch in Narnia who captures Edmund with Magical Turkish Delight! If you have never read the book there is a synopsis here which will save you hours.

But, back to the thread – kids and packed lunches. I suggest we stop kidding ourselves that we can introduce some rules which will suddenly make kids eat healthily. They won’t. They will find away around the system – as generations have done before them. So stop being hypocrites – they will work it out for themselves in the end!

Postscript – how much, exactly, is a ‘lashing of ginger beer’? And is there really a Carrot museum? Must put on my list of world class attractions!

I blogged previously about how architecture divides us.

This week is the official opening by the Sheriff of Nottingham of the four new bungalows I am involved in at Abel Collins Almshouses in Beeston Nottingham. I accept that they are not part of the sites vernacular architecture. But that I think is the point. The original houses were built on the site in the 1930’s, and then phases were constructed in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. They are of their time. The new bungalows certainly make a statement – and I am proud that they represent a 2009 legacy.

I took the photograph here yesterday morning and was quizzed by the son of one of our residents. He wanted to know what we were thinking – and what Prince Charles would have to say. Firstly, what we were thinking is that we had an opportunity to make a statement. Secondly, I personally dislike pastiche architecture and was keen to avoid replicating what went before. Thirdly, these are very sustainable – with green credentials – rainwater harvesting, a sedum roof, high levels of insulation, a low carbon footprint, solar shading and underfloor heating. The level of ‘green’ is somewhere between 25-44% better than the current Building Regulations require. What would Prince Charles say? He would think they were a Carbuncle no doubt. I respect his views, but don’t always agree with them. We have moved on and need to move on further if we are to hit our sustainability targets. Highgrove House won’t quite have the same levels of insulation! Nor is Poundbury, in my view, great architecture.

What really counts though is whether our residents will like living in them. In their current bare state they appear warm and light & airy. The rooms are well proportioned and the space will hopefully turn into a home for the new residents. Time will tell!

As I was out with my camera, and the sky was fairly photogenic, I came back via The University of Nottingham Triumph Road Campus. I have been buying up land here for the University for many years. The latest building is the Centre for Geospatial Studies – lovingly known as GRACE. When it was being constructed I had a fear that it was going to be a ‘box’. But what has emerged is something really quite special. And yes – it is a box! But it demonstrates that with the use of colour and really good materials even a ‘box’ can look great.

Would either of these buildings worked in ‘brick and slate’…. I think not, but I am willing to be challenged. Architecture, like Art, is a matter of personal taste. A ‘marmite‘ moment! And it’s got people talking… which they tend not to do about our other houses and bungalows?

p.s. I love Marmite!