Birmingham Central is a building that divides opinion. Some believe this piece of brutalist architecture should be demolished and be replaced with something more fitting for the city. Others see it as a piece of the city's heritage and feel it should remain.
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Birmingham Central Library - ugly or beautiful? What do you think?
Can't see the film? Click here to watch.
Miranda Krestovnikoff travelled to the Wash in Norfolk - the Heathrow airport for wading birds - to meet a group of enthusiasts that use some truly explosive technique to study bird migrations. The Wash Wader Ringing Group has been studying wading birds for 50 years. They use a technique called Canon Netting which involves firing a net from canons to catch wading birds as they feed on the beach.
In the film around 100 Sanderlings were netted. .
Also, Miranda's wildlife tips:
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1. Rutting Deer
Autumn is the season to watch one of nature's great spectacles - deer rutting. Woodlands and country estates are great places to witness the rut especially during the first two weeks in October. During the autumn the stags start fighting each other, as they pursue the females.
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2. Red wings
Now just as the wader birds are checking out of Britain, these birds are checking in! The redwing is a type of thrush, and we see them arrive in the UK in their thousands in October. They come from Scandinavia, fleeing the onset of the siberian winter.
They spend the winter here in the UK feasting on berries in our gardens, parks and hedgerows throughout the countryside. At first, you hear them - often at night - as they call to each other on migration. And then, when you spot them later in October, they bring a stunning flash of colour to an autumn day.
They have a lovely rusty-red underwing (or armpit!) that really stands out when they fly - and they look like they've overdone it with cream mascara, leaving a lovely stripe above their eyes.
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3. Autumn leaf colour change
Miranda thinks Autumn is the most beautiful season of the year. Get out and enjoy the spectacular reds, orange, and yellows. Look out for colour changes in Beech, Maple and Oak tree leaves.
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Gyles Brandreth has been in search of the hidden meaning behind nursery rhymes.
At the very beginning nursery rhymes weren't as we think of them today, according to Albert Jack, author of Pop Goes the Weasel. Lullabyes were used as a way of spreading news amongst the illiterate rural population instead of a way of singing our children to sleep.
Do you know the story behind Three Blind Mice? Well sit down and let The One Show tell you.
It's the story of Queen Mary I, who was also known as Bloody Mary. She hunted down the three Archbishops Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer during her Marian persecutions and demanded that they renounce their Protestant faith and declare themselves Catholic. They refused and so were blinded and burnt at the stake, passing into history as the Oxford Martyrs.
Despite the darker underbelly exposed in these seemingly saccharine stories, Children's Laureate Michael Rosen believes that the humble nursery rhyme provides the very building blocks of our children's imagination.
So, do you have a favourite, family rhyme? What rhyme or song was guaranteed to send your child to sleep?
British beetroots are good for us - they're a 'super food', so I've been told. They contain betalins and are nutritious, even if they're not everyone's favourite vegetable.
So, as seen on The One Show, the recipe for, um, alcoholic beetroot cocktail is as follows:
Ingredients
1 small uncooked beetroot, peeled, cut into cubes
½ lime, juice only
25ml/1fl oz gold tequila
12ml/½fl oz orange liqueur
12ml/½fl oz dark chocolate liqueur
25ml/1fl oz beetroot juice
1 tsp sugar syrup (also known as 'gomme' syrup)
salt, for dipping
Method
1. Place the beetroot into a cocktail shaker and mash (muddle) with the end of a clean rolling pin.
2. Add the lime, tequila, orange liqueur, dark chocolate liqueur, beetroot juice and sugar syrup, top up with ice and shake well.
3. Wet the rim of a glass, then dip into a plate covered in salt to coat the rim.
4. Strain the cocktail into a glass and serve.
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Also: Recipe for Charlie'sÌýbeetroot smoothie recipe, (as seen on The One Show).
Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend for 20 seconds:
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1 and a half chopped bananas
250ml apple juiceÌý
150 ml beetroot juice
2 teaspoons of honey
More beetroot recipes at 91Èȱ¬ Food.
Is a beetroot revival a good thing? Do you have a favourite beetroot recipe? Please tell us!
The One Show's Phil Tufnell has been investigating why 'Mass Market Masterpiece' is such a hit with the British public.
He visited the to see the painting - and to ask about the huge amounts of Sunflowers merchandise that the gallery sells.
Do you, One Show audience, love Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers? If so, why? Or do you perhaps prefer 'My Bed'?
Thank you for all of the poems you've sent in. Our poetry corner is now closed for business. Your verses are being read and sorted by The One Show production team.
The shortlisted poems will be sent to and . Gyles will be filmed reading his and Roger's favourite verses from all those that have been sent in. We hope that Gyles will also give us some poetry criticism.
We plan to publish Gyles reading the two favourite poems on this blog in the beginning of October.
Do you have a favourite poem from among those that have been sent in? Click here to tell us which it is.
Can't see the film? Click here to watch.
For the One Show, Aubrey Manning has been visiting points of geological interest in the UK. In this episode he's in Bath looking at how the architecture of the city has been influenced by the local abundance of a honey coloured limestone called .
Can't see the film? Click here to watch.
Lucy Siegle has travelled across the country for our Ugly-Beautiful series, coming face to face with some beautifully monstrous examples of modern architecture.
This week Lucy travels to the 'New town' of Cumbernauld in Lanarkshire which has twice been voted the most dismal place to live in the whole of Scotland, and the shopping centre the ugliest building in the whole of the UK.
Despite the negative publicity, the town is still visited by architects from all over the world, looking for an example of the modernist dream.
What's it called?
The town is also famous for its dynamic motto: "What's it called? Cumbernauld."
So - we're asking you - can you come up with a truthful slogan for the town in which you live? A motto that really reflects your area?
The most entertaining slogans will be read out on The One Show. Please remember to add your name and location to your comment.
Also: Is Cumbernauld ugly or beautiful? What do you think?
Can't see the video? Click here for actor Dan Stevens reading Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen.
The 11th of November 2008 marks the 90th anniversary of the Armistice - the day that brought the fighting in the First World War to an end.
To commemorate the occasion, a is being held at the Imperial War Museum - 30 September 2008 - 6 September 2009. It aims to tell the story of some 90 inviduals whose lives were shaped and changed by the events of the First World War - both on the front line and on the home front.
The One Show was given a preview of the exhibition - an array of rarely-seen items from their unique World War One collection.
For more details - visit the .
The One Show's Neil Oliver has been uncovering a little-known chapter in history.
In the Spring of 1943, 44 American oil drillers rolled into Sherwood on a top secret mission to extract thousands of barrels of oil from beneath the forest floor.
The Sherwood Forest oil helped turn the tide of the war in favour of Britain and her allies. It was used to fuel the vehicles and equipment for D-Day - the Allied invasion of Normandy that would eventually lead to the defeat of Germany. .
Has your region a little-known, but fascinating, history? Please leave your comment, with your first name and location, below.
This is serious. Christine, Adrian, and the English language, needs your help. The One Show hosts are backing a campaign to get two words saved from oblivion. Dictionary compilers say that the words Embrangle (meaning to confuse or entangle) and Oppugnant (meaning antagonistic or contrary) are no longer used enough to warrant a place in their dictionary.
So, Christine will be championing Oppugnant and Adrian will be attempting to popularise Embrangle. They'll be using them in their broadcasts - but they also need to show wider evidence of the popularity of their chosen words.
Please show your support by adding a comment below, which contains the words in an inventive manner. Please, also, send us links to uses of the word online - be it written, audio or video. Any evidence much appreciated!
Your efforts might get you a mention on The One Show. Thank you, and please add your name and location to comments so that we know who to credit.
On Wednesday The One Show's Lucy Siegle visits the town of Cumbernauld.
The town's slogan is: "What's it called? Cumbernauld."
It could be argued that Cumbernauld's civic motto fails to sum up a town that has twice been voted the most dismal place to live in the whole of Scotland.
So - we're asking you - can you come up with a truthful slogan for the town in which you live? A motto that really reflects your area?
The most entertaining slogans will be read out on The One Show. Please remember to add your name and location to your comment.
So, occasionally, we'll be posting ourÌýfavourite 'Photo of the day', from those that are sent in, here on the One Passions blog for all to enjoy.
To be considered for 'Photo of the day' take a look at the categories of photos we're looking for on our photo uploader page. Then upload your best picture in that category.
Currently we're asking for photos of your bedrooms, cute creatures, giant vegetables and a few others too.
Our first 'One Show photo of the day' has been sent in by Yvonne Schuiling from Maidstone in Kent. She writes: "This is our Boxer dog Queen Wilma surveying her minions!!!". Thanks for getting in touch, Yvonne.
All week we've been watching Mike Dilger spend a week at the Wildlife Aid rescue centre in Surrey.
He's been meeting both the human and animal characters at the charity's centre - which cares for 230 injured and sick creatures.
Mike has seen pigeons plucked from chimneys, badgers learning to feed and slow worms being rescued from people's bedrooms.
And now it's time to let some of the animals at the centre go.
In The One Show office many of us have been rooting for the fox to pull through (it came into the centre after collapsing with a gut infection)...
Ed the researcher, though, prefers Winny the weasel: "They've got a bad rep from Wind In the Willows - but actually they're such cute little things and they move really fast!"
Are you fox fans? Or has another of the rescued animals captured your heart? Add your comment, below.
Thank you. You've sent in hundreds of poems... and they're still coming in. We've had word from Gyles Brandreth that he's very impressed with many of the poems that have been sent in so far.
If you want to add your verse please click here.
Please remember - they should be on the theme of 'my passion' and should be no more than 20 lines or 3/4 verses.
We'll stop accepting entries on Friday 26 September 2008.
In this post we're asking:
Do you have a favourite poem that's been sent in so far?
What's your pick?
Venusinblue's poems caught my eye.ÌýThey're short and sweet.
She writes:
"my passion is... fashion.
be colourful."
and
"my passion is... compassion.
be good."
Click here to read the first page of poems sent in.
Click here to read the second page of poems sent in.
Which of the poems have you enjoyed reading? Add your comment below.
Can't see the video? ClickÌýhere to watch.
Adrian writes:
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Like everyone who knows nothing about something, I will say of architecture that I know nothing about it, but I know what I like.Ìý And, at first sight I didn't much like The Public, but now I think the building is starting to make more sense.
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There is no point having a big new arts building anywhere if it doesn't turn a few heads.Ìý And you can't turn a few heads without dismaying a few of them.ÌýThe more I think about it "blimey, that's awful" isn't a bad starting point in anyone's relationship with anything.Ìý It was certainly what most viewers thought of me when I first started out as a television presenter.Ìý
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In fact, anything that looks good at first might not stand the test of time.Ìý An example is the 91Èȱ¬ logo [I mean the black and white one we use now]: I remember being perplexed when the one we use now replaced the old colour one.Ìý Replacing colour with black and white!Ìý How was this progress?Ìý Now of course the old one looks laughably archaic.Ìý
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So, I think will grow on us though I wouldn't like to be in charge of planning permission at Sandwell council.Ìý Imagine the stick they're going to get when they next reject an application for a loft conversion or somesuch: "you won't let me put another bedroom in the top of my house, but you allow some clown to put that monstrosity up..."
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Have you visited The Public? Is it ugly or beautiful? Is there a building in your area that divides opinion? Tell us about it! Leave a comment in the box, below.
In September 2008Ìýwe asked for your original poems on the theme of 'my passion'. Literary typesÌý and , have now selected their favourites - and the film has been shown on The One Show.
Click here to find out which poems Gyles and Roger chose to read out.
Our 'Poetry Corner' has now closed, but you can still read the submissions, below.
Thank you.
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Here are Gyles' "beginners' top tips" for writing poetry:
Poetry packs a punch.Ìý It gets to the heart of the matter.Ìý A poem is like the postscript to a letter: it's the place where you find what the writer really wanted to say.Ìý Before you begin to write your poem, decide on the essence of your message.Ìý What exactly do you want to say?
Organise your thoughts.Ìý When you've decided what you want your poem to do - tell a story, express an emotion, make the reader laugh or cry - work out a route map.Ìý Where is your poem going?Ìý What journey is it going to take?Ìý Even the shortest poem needs a beginning, a middle and an end.
Easy does it.Ìý Just because you are writing a poem, you don't need to go all "poetic".Ìý Keep it simple.Ìý Use language that's direct and honest and that you are comfortable with.Ìý Avoid euphemism and euphuism and anything else you need to look up in the dictionary.
Truth is what counts.Ìý Whether your poem is a love poem or a limerick, if it doesn't ring true it won't work.Ìý If it's a love poem don't hide behind sentimentality and cliché: simply speak of your experience from the heart.Ìý Good jokes work because they ring a bell.Ìý The same goes for good poems.
Rhymes are fun.Ìý Rules are good.Ìý It's not essential to write a poem that rhymes - or scans - or obeys the traditional rules of poetry used by Shakespeare or Shelley or Rupert Brooke or John Betjeman - but it can help.Ìý Read poems by great poets to discover how the discipline of writing to rule helped them make their poems memorable.
Your voice.Ìý That's what we want to hear.ÌýÌý And if we do, your poem will be unique - because you are.
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The One Show's gardener Christine Walkden has been following the fortunes of the Pragnell-Biggs family in Solihull, as they attempt to grow their own food.
The family sought Christine's help in setting up their own vegetable patch when their weekly bill for veg exceeding £30.
Do you grow your own vegetabIes? Is it really worth the effort?
As The One Show's Lucy Siegle found out, in London's east end is a building that divides opinion. To some it's an eyesore, to others it's an icon of brutalist architecture.
The One Show wants to hear about 'ugly-beautiful'Ìýbuildings in your area. What are they? Where are they?
Leave a comment below - and send inÌýa photoÌýhere.
Just aÌýpost to say thank you for all of the photos that have been sent in - we'll be addingÌýmany of them to the new galleries on the new website (which we hope you like).
One of my favourites is the picture, above, of Sam Raine (sent in by his mum Sue). She wrote: "Here is a picture of my son with a butterfly - which stayed with him all day before eventually flying away. Sam is a magnet for wildlife, and his knowledge of allÌýcreatures great and small never ceases to amaze me... a couple of weeks ago, he came home from school with a starling perched on his hand!"
Thanks for sending in the photo, Sue.
If you'd like toÌýshare your photos with the nation - then please see our gallery, uploader and help page.
Currently, we'd especially like your photos of ugly-beautiful buildings.
Thank you,
Ciarán (One Show interactive team)Ìý
Watch our 'Introduction to blogging' video - click the play button, above.
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The One Show website has three blogs.
As well asÌýour One Passions blog that you're reading right now,
there's also the Backstage blogÌýÌýand theÌýConsumerÌýblog.
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