Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

Life is all about words and music - for me, anyway. When that is balanced with family and friends, that's a recipe for a perfect existence that goes beyond simply existing. A couple of my old friends have recently been involved in creating a stunning piece of art - literally and figuratively. If you're interested, you can watch it here . Listen to the lyrics - Weller has always been able to craft a great line and I love that he's done this one in collaboration. He's a generous musician, allowing others to contribute when they have something interesting to say. It never ceases to amaze me how creative people can be with 12 notes, 26 letters or just a few colours. There's always something new. I was also blown away last night by sax player Jon Shenoy and his latest ensemble, Draw by Four in Hitchin's Club85. He makes playing sax look much more effortless than I've ever found it, but that's because he's worked hard at it. Jon Shenoy's Dr...

The adjective 'natural' is used with wild abandon to describe anything which once came from nature. The dictionary definition includes the distinction that it is not made or caused by humankind and yet our influence on the world means that little can properly be classed natural in those terms. For anyone attempting to live a more clean lifestyle, this is a major dilemma, particularly when considering choices in food, cosmetics and household products. In the heart of Hitchin, beside the resolutely-closed Hitchin Museum (just a few metres from the newly-opened North Herts Museum, which has been so badly managed that it doesn't even have a proper entrance), there lies the William Ransom Physic Garden. It's a beautiful spot, even in the closing days of September. William Ransom began selling essential oils in Hitchin in 1846 and the business is still going today, albeit owned by a major pharmaceutical operation. His garden of aromatic plants is a fragrant reminder of...

A family celebration took place this weekend at the striking Horsted Place. Previously a private home, this is what can only be described as a mansion - a Victorian Gothic building where HM the Queen and HRH Prince Philip were regular guests. None of my family is quite so grand, but the hotel itself is certainly imposing. It sits with a quiet grace close to Uckfield in the countryside south of London and close to Brighton. On the first day of autumn, the grounds were a little disappointing, as the rain cleared and the sun appeared, but I should imagine at the height of summer it's just beautiful.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Science Fiction themes played by the London Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. I've never been a massive fan of the genre, but there's no denying the beauty of some of the music involved. The LCO did a fantastic job with music from Strauss to Elfman, with lasers and pyrotechnics to add spice to the mix. The brass and wind sections throughout performed beautifully and it was good to hear piccolo, bass clarinet and contra bassoon used to great effect.

As the sun can barely put in an appearance through the clouds on the last day of summer, it's a time to reflect and to look forward to autumn. Although not always well enough to always do everything I wanted through the summer months, I'm feeling a lot better at the end rather than the beginning of the season. Long may it continue! I always love autumn as it eases into winter, possibly because a January birthday makes the run-up to Christmas even more enjoyable. Age is just a number and I'm glad to be still adding to that number. Today may be grey, but crunching through the early autumn leaves while out walking Looby Loo brings joy to my soul.

They say "Never meet your heroes", but I enjoyed meeting one of mine. Madeleine Peyroux was an absolute delight and we ran out of time SO fast!     I wrote a blog for Kind of Jazz as a result.

There's something deeply unsettling about the racism in Shakespeare's Othello . It is, however, probably as much a part of life in London today as it was in early modern times when Shakespeare chose to include it in the play. I was fortunate in being able to take 16 young people from Stevenage to Shakespeare's Globe last night. 13 of them had never heard of the play and knew nothing of the story. Three of them have studied it in some detail and had a very different response. For the 13 new to it, Othello was at first confusing. Once they'd worked out who everyone was - including a stunning Iago from Mark Rylance - they engaged completely. They were shocked by the racism and saddened by the tragedy itself. An added bonus was fellow audience member Jeremy Corbyn, whose hand I managed to shake briefly before the play began.

I was delighted to be invited to interview one of my heroes this week. And this was the view as I waited for her to join me on the sofa at The Heights, just off Oxford Circus. The following interview will form a blog in due course, but I did spent all my waiting time trying to work out which building was where.