Television Presenters

"There was a longing inside of me that just wanted to play with this thing. I didn’t know how to articulate it. I didn’t even know I could study it."

"Everything begins with yourself. You are the product. Actors, sports players — You’re a product. My physical is the product and I have to manipulate the self to achieve certain things; to act, to perform, to MC, etc. I have to mould this product. It begins there."

"I’m a product that’s there to translate narratives, stories, and bring characters to the fold. Human journeys — their triumphs, weaknesses, losses, and wins."

"I’m sure every actor has that moment where, when they are in the environment, they wonder: What would my Oscar speech be? What would my Emmy speech be? You watch the Emmys and you daydream, and you see yourself standing there saying something. Then you start thinking about who you’d thank and who you wouldn’t thank."

"It’s such a special feeling, and I think that every actor in their life dreams to have content or shows that make people wanna go back for more."

"I remember the young boy who’d lost faith in himself, on the verge of surrender. But then, my record played, weaving a tapestry of peace, harmony and freedom. The words resonated deep within him, inspiring him to rise deep within his, inspiring him to rise above his struggles"

"They call me an actor, musician, painter or writer, but I am simply an artist driven by an insatiable passion. They celebrate my work, but little do they know, I’m broken, just like them. I’m a slave to the very craft that once set me free,”"

"From my perspective as an and as a presenter on television I would love people to know and understand the amazing story of the s under our feet. The fact that without these rocks, the beds of , , clay or even s we would not have the or that we have today. We wouldn’t have the s, trees and wildlife without these rocks. Everything about the countryside is dependent on the rocks that sit underneath the soil, and I would love for people to know and make the connection that the nature they see all exists because of the rocks beneath. The rocks also have an ancient story of earth hidden within them that require us to use our imagination, we have to go back hundreds of millions of years to work out why they are there and can even tell us about the future of climate change."

".. even at the age of eight I had a great love for science, and I knew that I wanted to be a scientist."

"This whole journey started with '. Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote such an amazing book to connect botany and ecology with traditional knowledge. I also very much looked at other nature writers. ’s book was really interesting. He didn’t necessarily talk about the science of geology, but he did talk about what it felt like to be underground. There are moments in that book which terrify me because it makes me feel so claustrophobic. He makes you feel quite powerful emotions about being with him while he goes on that journey. Another book that really taught me how to structure the stories is by and it’s called Mudlarking. She’s this brilliant, interesting person who walks along the foreshore of the at and each chapter is about the different categories of the things that she finds. And finally the last book which I thought was so powerful as a woman writer was ’s The Living Mountain. She really lives in the moment of observing nature and natural processes. And not just the living processes of nature—what I love about that book is how she observes the rocks, the mountain and the landscape. She feels it in her heart, in every fiber of her being. And through reading that I knew what I wanted to achieve."

"It is tough gaining the trust of clients as a new entrant and as an entrepreneur; one needs to find outlets to sustain cash flow when the chips are down. Fortunately, I have had the luck of balancing my business ventures with freelance work opportunities in modelling and television"

"South Africa weighs heavy on my heart. One of the most beautiful countries in the world — the food, weather, people, diverse cultures, parties, experience. I don’t understand how we have fallen so bad. The quality of life is horrendous! People are suffering, hustling day to day"

"It is much easier to start a business conversation when people recognise who you are. Of course there will be skeptics who question your intellectual range and ability to perform. It is how you navigate the polarities"

"... The Whispers of Rock: Stories from the Earth ... is a love letter written with such passion that you can’t help but be moved. Khatwa has devoted much of her life to spreading the gospel of geology, and here she offers clinical, scientific substance to back up her extraordinary depth of feeling. Throughout the book, she is methodical in her explanations of subjects such as how mountains, s and are formed, while also weaving in fascinating details. We learn that the Taj Mahal in India, an iconic symbol of love, was constructed with ivory-white , the origins of which date back to when several primitive land masses collided nearly 2 billion years ago. A recipe incorporating those , , and led to the rock used in this extraordinary monument, a much more complex process than might be realised at first glance. ... Khatwa’s love of rocks emerged as a child, when she walked over . In her book, she takes us with her around the world and across aeons, all the way to her home of 20 years in , UK, where the and its 185 million years of geological history are her neighbours."

"Life is an accumulation of all our experiences. So I would tell her to explore more. To be more inquisitive. I would tell her to travel more, to immerse herself in different cultures at a time in her life where she is still unencumbered by the responsibilities of adulthood"

"Go for it! Don’t tell yourself this is not a good time because then you’ll always have an excuse to put it off. And if you’re worried about life getting in the way while you’re studying, don’t be. This is truly a flexible MBA programme that works with your goals in mind and considers your lifestyle. If you are committed, you will make it work"

"academic, political and work experience credentials combined are needed in our leadership now not apartheid struggle heroes"

"I love the freedom to choose what I want to do, the freedom that comes with owning my time, while still being able to be present for my young family"

"I felt the need to build my business acumen; I wanted to meet likeminded entrepreneurs, individuals who are doing different things in their spheres. I also wanted to find out how to run a business that is sustainable, not one that is launched one day and vanishes the next"

"As an entrepreneur your time is your money, and I couldn’t have my business affairs grind to a halt because I was studying,’ she says. ‘And as mother of two little boys – aged two and one – I have responsibilities on the home front that can’t be ignored, nor can they simply be moved down on my list of priorities"

"Give us a dream and a strategy to believe in followed by quality representatives based on merits to turn that vision into reality. Remember Obama's ‘Yes We Can’ campaign. I’m not American but he sold a new America to me. We really need this kind of energy in our country"

"I started my degree in 2021, so it’s taken me four years to finish. The reason being that I had both my children during this time. At no point did Henley put me under pressure to finish my course at a time when it was literally an impossibility"

"What’s really lacking in the political parties opposing the current leading party is a lack of effective direction. I don’t know what they stand for and how they wish to achieve what they say they want to achieve. All I know is that they hate the ANC and that’s not good enough"

"My passion lies in cultivating a safe, loving and supportive home life for my children. One that I dreamed of as a child. In business my passion is to grow a beauty business by women for women, that offers simple beauty solutions that fit into their lifestyles. One of my biggest passions is always to finish what I start. It’s one of the key drivers that have gotten me to where I am today"

"I was proud to see how a South African story was told by South Africans on our very own soil and also from our own voice. We did not have to bring an international start for this, we went with our talent which is phenomenal."

"Let us practice what we preach, by making sure our own institution is a front-runner in the green transition – for example, by adding solar panels on the twenty thousand square meters of flat roof available on our buildings here in Strasbourg."

"By exposing your brain to new impressions you are compelled to think new thoughts and be inspired by others."

"I was 10 years old the first time I picked up the phone, and a Nazi told me that I"

"Dear colleagues, we must earn and protect the trust of our citizens, by delivering on the biggest challenges people around Europe face today."

"There are three little words, written at the bottom of every resolution, every report and every legislative position in this house. Three small words that connect us all. United in Diversity."

"If we can change the textile industry, then we can change everything."

"“I’ve been doing it for 34 years,” says Jane Edmanson. “Can you imagine that?” Edmanson is speaking about her time on , where she has been a since the show began back in 1990. Outside of that role, the gardening expert has also published books on propagation and planting, and in 2004 received an medal for services to . She feels “very lucky” to have made a career out of her passion."

"The key consideration when is the , because you need to choose species that can cope with having their roots so restricted. The soil in a small container also tends to dry out and lose its quicker than that in a large one. So unless you have a lot of time and love to give to your containers, it's worth choosing fairly low-maintenance plants that can cope with dry, nutrient-poor, small spaces, or plants that are extremely slow grown. Plants such as s, s and other , ' and other and even many herbs such as , and can cope with slightly drier, nutrient-poor conditions and, dare I say, neglect from us growers!"

", is a lovely plant that provides so very much in the garden or in a row, offering a safe haven and bountiful feast for nesting birds and s. It's also an incredibly useful plant for us. The edible spring leaves are great in salads, and the autumn berries, or haws, can be used in lots of dishes and drinks."

"I’m standing outside Jane Edmanson’s home, drenched by the flash floods sweeping the city. A tour of her garden, I assume, is out of the question. “Nonsense!” she says, zipping up her coat. “There’s no such thing as ‘gardening weather’. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, you just get out there and do what you can.” She strides through a muddy garden bed to get to her , then yanks off a sprig and crushes it. “Smell that,” she says, lifting it to my nose. “Isn’t it marvellous?” Her front yard is a jumble of flowers, s, trees and herbs. Some might consider it a smidge “overgrown”; she prefers the word “full”. She adores bushes that spill onto paths and sprouting in the cracks."

"Australian didn't come of age until 's contribution. Her creative genius and her philosophy of integrating the house and garden into the landscape have had a huge influence on our garden history."

"More and more people are becoming aware of herbs and appreciating the pleasure these plants give in the garden, kitchen and for cosmetics, medicines and s around the house. I couldn't live without my ."

"... I had a very traditional start – as an apprentice at 19, my job was to pick up dog poo and make the head gardener tea. Then at the I learned about conservation, and . Slowly, cogs move and you end up miles away from where you began, without really noticing that it’s happened. ... After school I worked at and did a foundation degree in art. Then a gardening apprenticeship came up and I made a snap decision. I walked around the garden with the head gardener and just thought, oh, this is amazing, I want to work here. I realised I like being in soil and muddy and the creativity that doesn’t involve sitting at a desk."

"Most of us enjoy or need a cup of tea or coffee at regular intervals, but with a within easy reach of the kitchen it is a very good reason to vary the flavours of the cuppa!"

"Frances is one of the main team of ' presenters, alongside . She has written several books and is a familiar face at garden and literary festivals. The publication of her first children’s book, How to Grow a Garden, and her forthcoming appearance as a guest speaker at Toby’s Garden Festival in May is why I’m calling her today. How to Grow a Garden is a colourful, hardback book which takes young readers on a journey through different gardens, from veg plots to rows and meadows, s, and various exotic gardens. Each garden is beautifully illustrated by Charlotte Ager and is packed with vibrant and fun plants, animals and insects. Throughout, Frances has added little descriptions and facts and each garden has a seasonal to-do list of inspiring and creative ideas for children (which adults will certainly enjoy doing as well)."

"s like , s and s will flower better if any dead spent flowers are snipped off."

""I want to be a living work of art," declared the Marchesa Casati. And she succeeded. Her body became a statue. Her face a painting. Her conversation a performance. She had not clothes but costumes. (p. 32)"

"Luisa Casati masterfully played the "femme fatale," hypnotizing men with her bold balance of the black abyss of her gaze and the white of her nudity. But she ruined no lover. No one committed suicide on her doorstep. Aside from the never-ending affair with il Poet, her love affairs remained on the fringes of her exceptional existence. (p. 33)"

"Her masked balls were triumphs. One night she chose the entire Piazza San Marco as her salon. She could appear dressed as Cagliostro or a serpent, or walk naked in the garden, candidly explaining: "I am the Truth!" But even nudity was a costume for her. (p. 33)"

"(About Mata Hari) The painters she posed for were disappointed by her small breasts, and she was often forced into prostitution. She had much better luck when she decided to perform as an exotic dancer. Undaunted by her ignorance and unpreparedness, she began introducing herself as Lady Gresha MacLeod. She claimed to be the daughter of an Indian priestess and to have grown up in a Shiva temple. [...] Her decision to perform only in private homes, probably the only possible choice given her technical unpreparedness, had accentuated the exotic aura of mystery she loved to surround herself with. Less demanding than artists, high society was struck by this tall, slender woman, with lively, burning eyes beneath her mass of dark hair. A witness recalled her superb figure and her noble, simple, and personality-filled bearing. She was the embodiment of the femme fatales that crowded the paintings and novels of the time; she was Gustave Moreau's half-naked, bejeweled Salomé."

"The incompetence of men in power is causing too much damage. We must no longer apologize for existing. We are more talented and more competent, and we demand power."

"Lilli Gruber, Basta! Il potere delle donne contro la politica del testosterone, Collana I Solferini, Milano, Solferino, 2019. ISBN 978-88-282-0311-7"

"I am appalled by rude and sexist politicians like Salvini who campaign in their underwear or Trump who say things like “you grab women by the p***y.” How can anyone think of entrusting the country to a man who has said such a thing? At the very least, he will mistreat women and citizens."

"I still remember a press conference in Amman with King Hussein of Jordan during the first Gulf War. I wanted to ask the king why he had grown a beard, but I was afraid it was a stupid question and didn't raise my hand. A colleague asked the question shortly afterwards and the king smiled and replied that it was to mask irritation caused by the stress of war. I was ashamed of my self-sabotage."

"We women must love Europe because it is the first and, for now, the only successful example of peaceful coexistence between nations to build a project of well-being and defense of fundamental values such as social and women's rights."