Autumn's natural wonders, even in a city like London, can offer all manner of fun and adventure this half-term, suggests Laura from our Royal Festival Hall shop.

Julie Fisher shares some of her heavenly home-made ice cream recipes, including Honey Ice Cream with Honeycomb and Toasted Almonds and mango and Passion Fruit Sorbet.

Isobel Moore, from our Royal Festival Hall branch, recalls her father's nightly readings of Bilbo Baggins' adventures and how stories of Middle-earth helped her through tough times.

Sean O'Conor from our Royal Festival Hall branch pays tribute to the late Ray Bradbury, the writer who first kindled his love of reading and who never accepted the label of science fiction for his work.

Intelligent football writing didn't begin with Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, reports Sean, but the it's only recently that British publishers have started properly catering for the demand from fans.