Dear London

I don't like to admit it but I'm past my festival going age, I think. Too many smells, too little comfort. However, I do still like to watch Glastonbury on the TV from the comfort of my sofa and I was intrigued by a feature that I saw called "Letters Live" where celebrities read out letters by famous people and others to an audience.

This is something that was not new to Glastonbury this year but it was new to me. With everything that's going on with AI generating its formulaic, bland, flat cracker equivalent of text - Bleurgh! Who can live on that?- I loved the idea of this. A return to writing and from the heart! The words of humans committed to paper from the days of pens and ink and read out to humans by other humans. Bloody marvellous!

They say, don't they, that your phone listens to you? It may be that my phone knows me better than I know myself as a result. It certainly feeds me stuff which it knows I like. This week, it served me up Benedict Cumberbatch. Not my usual fare, I must admit, although I am not averse.

My phone must have decided that after watching a Graham Norton video about Chris Pine's fans being called "Pine Nuts" and Cumberbatch's being called...? Can you guess? Cumberbitches! Yes, I know. Lovely. But anyway, as a result of watching this video, Benedict made a repeat appearance on my feed. This time, I was intrigued in a different way as he talks about, well, you can see it for yourself as it's up above. Just point and click and he can probably tell you better himself with his rich voice and clear enunciation and cadence.

Dear London. Write a letter to London. Email it OR why not send it off to The Times newspaper in an envelope? That's a little package made from paper that you can put your handwritten (or typed, I suppose) piece of paper in, seal it and send it by putting a stamp on it. A stamp. What do you mean "What's a stamp"?

I love this idea. Love it! Less than 500 words. Write a letter to London. The website gives you some pointers on how to access this if inspiration is not instant:

And as you can see, you might get to have it read at the Royal Albert Hall, which I can testify, having been there a fair few times in my lifetime, is a wonderful venue for any sort of arts-based loveliness to take place, but for a letter reading? It may just be the best.

But first, you have to write it.

Now, I know that some of you may not have a connection with London but even if you haven't, you're an imaginative bunch. I reckon you could give it a go. It's one of those cities which is pretty iconic. Who doesn't want to visit London? Madame Tussaud's, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards' Parade - I mean, the list could go on - the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, the Globe. And that's just the buildings, never mind the entertainment and its ambience and the museums and the history!

I've written one and will be compelled to publish it at some point to share it with you. Talking of sharing, London and I shared a moment just this week, in fact, just me and the city, which is rare really. What is even more rare is going twice but that is reality for me this week: two trips to the Big Smoke. I know! I am a lucky girl!

Anyway, my reason for writing this was to urge you to give it a go, not to regale you with tales of my travels. A good old-fashioned letter. That's all. It's open to everyone: an international invite. Your words may be uttered in one of the most well-known arts venues in the world, lifted to the ceiling of that circular hall and added to its rich history. I mean, if that's not tempting, then I don't know what is.

But even if that doesn't get you reaching for your Basildon Bond pad and your Parker pen, then I will leave you with one more exhortation and one which is definitely going to be hard to resist:

Do it for Benedict.

Here's the Graham Norton video too for your delight: