There is only one thing on the minds of everyone in the UK and that is SNOW, SNOW and more SNOW! The whole country has gone snow crazy. So to pay respects to the snow, we at UIC have decided to write a little poem for the Snow. Enjoy!

You fell from the sky on a Friday night

And at first we thought you were a wonderful delight

Our faces smiled, you were so soft and light

It made as all want a large snow fight

But two days on my feelings have changed

You have made the country feel all crazy and deranged

The airports are shut and the roads are blocked

All around Europe I’m sure we are mocked.

Oh Snow oh snow I did love you so

It’s a shame these feelings now have to go

I’m sure one day we will meet again

At least you better than the rain!

Although it may not be the best type of weather to go outside and sit on a bench, London still has many beautiful and interesting benches to offer. So we have decided to show you some of the best. And when the sun does decide to come out again, they are all worth a visit.

1. Ian Dury memorial bench Richmond park, Richmond

Apparently Ian Dury (an English Rock and Roll Singer) spent many hours enjoying the views in Richmond Park and visited two or three times a week. The bench is inscribed Reasons to be Cheerful, the title of one of his songs. The bench lets visitors plug in a set of headphones and hear eight of his songs, as well as an interview.

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Philip French the renowned film critic of the Guardian suggests these as the best 10 Christmas films of all time. What do you think? While you’re studying English in London with UIC check them out.

Meet me in St Louis (1944)
it’s winter 1903, the family are getting ready to leave their beloved St Louis for New York …..a fantastic musical with Judy Garland

Christmas Holiday (1944)
A newly commissioned army officer flying to San Francisco is diverted to New York and spends Christmas with a beautiful girl. Starring Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin

It’s a wonderful life (1946)
Its Dickens’ Christmas Carol with Bob Crachit as the hero … starring James Stewart

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
An actor plays Father Christmas in Macy’s annual parade and is put on trial to establish whether Father Christmas exists

Scrooge (1951)
The best of the many versions of Dickens’ Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim

The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
a widowed country parson confronting his familial and moral truths in 1948 and achieving reconciliation with his three children …. starring Celia Johnson, Ralph Richardson

White Christmas (1954)
Starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye with the best known of all Christmas songs – helping their 2nd world war commander in his troubled hotel

Gremlins (1984)
centred around the Christmas present of a lovable pet given by an eccentric inventor to his son that leads to panic in the streets ….

Will it snow for Christmas? (1996)
Focuses on the exploited mistress of a well-off married farmer raising her seven children on a small farm in France and leads to a spectacular Christmas dinner

Un Conte de Noel (2008)
A rambling epic about 3 generations of a dysfunctional family drawn together for Christmas … starring Catherine Deneuve

 Her current project is called Surround Me- see the links here, and go listen. The locations are in the cityof London - very busy during the day but at weekends they are virtually deserted and provide a wonderful background for this kind of work.

Here are the locations, if you want to know exactly where theya re then check out the website above and download a map.

SURROUND ME: A Song Cycle for the City of London: Locations and songs

London Bridge, Flow My Tears

Mark Lane, Oh My Love

Milk Street, Lachrimae

Moorfields Highwalk, Weep, O Mine Eyes

Tokenhouse Yard, The Silver Swan

Thirty years ago today – 8th December 1980- John Lennon was killed in New York.  He’s been dead for longer than he was active as a musician and a songwriter. He was only forty when he died from gunshot wounds inflicted on him by a crazed fan. For those of a certain age it’s a moment we’ll never forget.  He’s of course best known as a member of The Beatles, but in his solo career,  he wrote more great songs than most songwriters could hope for in a lifetime; he was prolific and the good far outweighs the bad.  I’m sure in the next few weeks you’ll hear “Happy Xmas War is over” more times than you might want to and you are probably already familiar with most of his songs – so  here are some suggestions of his songs performed by other artists. All but one are from his solo career – the exception being “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” and although it is a Beatles song, it does mark the beginning of Lennon’s departure from the Beatles.

“The Ballad of John and Yoko” by Teenage Fanclub

“Nobody told me”  by the Flaming Lips

“Jealous Guy” by Donny Hatthaway

“Mother” by Shelby Lynne

“Working Class Hero” by Marianne Faithfull

“Imagine” by Neil Young

“Gimme some Truth” by Generation X

And a fantastic film of Lennon performing Instant Karma

(thanks to boogiewoogieflu)