Paul Vates, Frost Magazine’s doyen of all things theatrical, had a great time with Sweet FA, and the fact that it was raising money for GOSH made everything that much better, especially for me. My grand-daughter, Meg, who runs the Young Voices column is having a massive operation there in a couple of weeks, though soon after that she will be back with us.

So, over to Paul:

Making things up as you go along sounds a great career to choose. That’s what Graham Dickson and his colleagues have chosen to do at The Free Association in north London.

The FA specialise in improvisational theatre and comedy. Based upstairs at The De Beauvois Arms in north London, they run comedy evenings, workshops and training – all in the art of impro.

I popped in for a two-hour taster session with Graham as part of the Charity Weekender, with proceeds going to GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital). We were a small group, eight in total and began by playing basic and easy games. Before we knew it, we were in full flow, performing sketches and taking risks. Always scary, always funny.

Part of the ‘serious’ side of impro was explained to us by Graham: how it only works when we work as a team; how we must trust each other even though, in our case, we’ve only just met; how we must allow ourselves to stop thinking and just let it happen.

After our brilliant taster session, there followed a full day of impro sessions led by some of the best in the business. What better way to give to GOSH, by learning and laughing.

The FA always have events and shows coming up. Keep in touch with them via their website: www.thefreeassociation.co.uk. They are also on Facebook and, of course, Twitter @FAimprov … And I’m not making this up.

I have indescribably bad handwriting. Always have had, perhaps always will, Him indoors, before he was ‘indoors’ used to find my letters lasted for ages, because he took that long to decipher them in his submarine. But, in spite of my shortcomings, I have an absolute passion for fountain pens, and really good ballpoint and rollerballs.

Every time Random House bring out a book of mine I buy myself a fountain pen as a good girl reward. So to try the Parker Urban fountain pen has been a real treat. It feels good in the hand, and flows. There’s nothing more irritating that a new pen that produces words that look like spiders crawling across the page, and a nib that seems to scratch across the paper.

Parker Urban has a curved design and range of finishes, and really lives up to the good name of Parker. Each pen is crafted to complement personal style, (don’t know I’d say complement my style, but it’s certainly lovely to write with, or so I found, and is a smooth easy ‘ride’). The Core range offers fresh and energetic colours which include London Black Cab and Vibrant Magenta, and is also available in satin or glossy Black lacquer finishes. Go on, Santa, you can slip this into a little niche under the tree, easy peasy. A fair swap for a mince pie left on the mantelpiece.

RRP:£75, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB

There are many others to choose from. What about:

The Parker IM with its clean lines and elegant finishes, and would, I think, appeal to someone about to embark on a new job, or set off for uni. Available in fountain, ballpoint and rollerball, it’s something I would give to one of the grandchildren.

RRP: £20-£60, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB

The Parker Ingenuity combines breakthrough technology with bold design, PARKER launches the new Ingenuity Deluxe range – engineered for those always one step ahead of the latest innovation. Parker Ingenuity’s Deluxe range uses the brand’s pioneering patented 5^th technology – so named as it offers an innovative fifth mode of writing, offering an alternative to the fountain pen, ball point, roller ball and the mechanical pencil.

RRP:£215, www.parkerpen.com/en-GB

Find out more at: http://www.parkerpen.com/en-GB

I have a great fondness and respect for the fire brigade. My father-in-law served in it in London throughout the blitz, and was left with an enduring admiration. In addition, when a child we had a cat which twice (lord help us) got stuck up a birch tree in our garden. So out they came, with enormously good grace to be scratched and yowled at as they rescued this ungrateful creature. With Christmas on its way I thought this a brilliant idea for a special present: the London Fire Brigade’s 150^th anniversary photo book.

One Hundred and Fifty Years – can it really be that long – of London Fire Brigade gives an illustrated history of the Brigade, which began in its current form in 1866, and shows how it has evolved into the capital’s modern day emergency service.

This is a limited edition, containing 124 pages packed full of rare images which were handpicked by the Fire Brigades museum curators from the Mary Evans’ pictorial archives.

A timeline across a double page marks the key events and incidents in the Brigade’s 150 year history, including the outbreak of the two world wars, the King’s Cross underground station fire, the Clapham rail disaster and the 7/7 London bombings. Such iconic events, some so recent.

The photographs are split into 12 sections and clearly detail key areas of the Brigade’s history and make up, including how uniforms have changed, the role of animals within the fire service and how the range of vehicles used by firefighters have evolved throughout the years.

The glossy book is the perfect gift for anyone and everyone who values our Fire Brigade, and if you know former emergency service workers, or people who have a keen interest in the history of the Brigade or those who simply enjoy looking at historic images do please consider this wonderful book, covering a century and half of courageous and invaluable service.

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Our photo book is a tribute to 150 years of bravery and commitment to London and is sure to be the perfect Christmas gift.

“This limited edition book give great insight into how we have served the capital for 150 years. Even those well versed on the Brigade’s history are sure to learn some fascinating facts along with seeing some stunning, rarely seen images.”

One Hundred and Fifty Years of London Fire Brigade is priced at £12 plus P&P. To order the book, visit www.maryevans.com/lfb150.php.

Following on from Milly Adams’ previous post about The Gin Foundry’s Ginvent Calendar, I was invited to pop down to Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour to meet the two gents behind the desirable item.

Brothers Olivier and Emile Ward (pictured) have been interested in gin for many years and know more or less everything there is to know about the intoxicating liquid. For instance, did you know the largest consumer of gin in the world is The Philippines? Spain is second, the USA is third. The UK staggers in at fourth place. Surely, we can do better – and that’s one reason behind the Ginvent Calendar.

All twenty-four, yes, twenty-four (count them!) gins have been chosen by the brothers after much research and careful thought – this year’s selection being mainly from the UK and Europe. One is the award-winning Napue from Finland – it won the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s 2015 Spirits Award against 150 competitors.

Another is Sharish, which, to keep it unscientific, turns from blue to pink when the tonic is added simply because magic is involved… or, perhaps, it’s to do with the plant essence reacting with the quinine which means that – no, it’s simpler to say it’s magic.

The Calendar has a different gin for each day and, if you can restrain yourself, there will be a live Twitter Tasting (@GinFoundry) each evening at 7.30pm (UK time) so everyone can share their thoughts about that day’s tipple.

But – hang on – it’s not just gin. What about the tonic? I asked Emile and he said that his preferred choice would be Fever Tree (other tonics are available), but urged experimentation with tonic as with gin. Which is the very essence of what Ginvent is about: exploring new tastes and widening one’s horizons.

Fancy giving it a try? It may seem on the pricey side, but what you get is expertise and dedication from a couple of gin-lovers who don’t take gin lightly. They even infuse their own gins, experimenting all the time. Apparently, good gin can be created in four hours! Crikey. But if you’ve got the taste for it and a little patience (twenty-four days to be exact), you can enjoy gin throughout December – finishing just in time for Christmas Day.

If all that seems too much to take in, I think you should visit The Gin Foundry’s Pop-Up shop on the 16th/17th/18th December, at the Vinyl Factory in Soho, London. Information about this, the Ginvent Calendar, and more, is all at http://www.ginfoundry.com/ginvent/

Oh. Just in case you were wondering which was my favourite gin from the evening? The City of London Christopher Wren Gin.

Whoops, caught me red-handed… So, one for the road?

www.ginfoundry.com

www.ginkiosk.com