The Daily: June 11
Spot the Dog creator Eric Hill dies aged 86
Spot the Dog author and illustrator Eric Hill has died aged 86. Puffin Books have said that he died after a short illness at his home in California. Hill's popular children books about Spot the Dog has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and been translated into over sixty languages. Hill would refer to himself as "Spot's Dad" and first read the stories to his two-year-old son at bedtime. His publisher Puffin books have said: "Eric's ingenious lift-the-flap device turned the reading of a Spot book into a glorious game of hide and seek, enjoyed by children and adults alike." Hill's family said: "Although this time of loss is a great hardship for us, we can honestly say that we take some solace in the joy he brought to so many children and families through his work. We know Spot, and therefore Eric, has had a beloved presence in so many homes and bedtime readings." Hill is survived by his wife and two children.
Auction Roundup
A painting by LS Lowry has sold for £2.3 million at auction. Named Station Approach, Manchester, the work shows a scene outside the London and North Western Railway Exchange Station. It was included in Sotheby auction house's sale of modern and post-war British art. Frances Christie, Sotheby's spokeswoman, said it is "a superb example of Lowry at his very best." The station which is the subject of Lowry's painting and is close to Manchester Cathedral has since been fully demolished. The Victorian front of the station had already been removed when Lowry painted the work in 1960.
A pair of World War One biscuits is up for auction. The biscuits are dated back to August 1915, and were brought back from modern-day Turkey by a British Soldier. The biscuits are thought to have belonged to Lieutenant Lionel Bruce Charles, who fought at the 1915 Gallipoli/Dardanelles campaign. Bidding will start at £60 at Lockdales in Suffolk on the 19 June. WWI biscuits were particularly hard to bite through, which is why a number have survived.
JK Rowling donates £1m to Better Together campaign
JK Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series, has donated £1million to the Better Together campaign in the Scottish Independence debate. Although born in England, Rowling has lived in Scotland for 21 years. In a post on her blog Rowling has explained her views following her donation. She has compared the most extreme nationalists to the Death Eaters of her children's books, saying: "When people try to make this debate about the purity of your lineage, things start getting a little Death Eaterish for my taste." Rowling also said in her blog post: "The more I listen to the Yes campaign, the more I worry about its minimisation and even denial of risks. Whenever the big issues are raised – our heavy reliance on oil revenue if we become independent, what currency we'll use, whether we'll get back into the EU – reasonable questions are drowned out by accusations of 'scaremongering'".
Dormice to be released in Nottinghamshire woodland
Woodland in Nottinghamshire is set to see the release of captive-bred hazel dormice. This is part of a project to help the endangered mammal, following a successful reintroduction of the rodents in the county last year. 43 dormice are going to be released at a secret location by The People's Trust for Endangered Species. Dormice were once common in much of England but changes to woodland management, loss of hedgerows and the fragmentation of their woodland habit has meant they are now close to extinction. Ian White, dormouse officer at PTES, said: "We cannot undo overnight the changes that have contributed to the decline of dormice. But with time and careful management we can create sustainable areas of woodland and hedgerows so that dormice can re-establish themselves and thrive."
Twitter vote sees "adorkable" enter the dictionary
The new Collins English Dictionary has used Twitter in search of new words. A poll was set up for users to choose words for the next edition, with "adorkable" being the winner. Collins English Dictionary have said that "adorkable" is a blend of adorable and dork and is slang for "socially inept or unfashionable in a charming or endearing way". The term was first popularised by Zooey Deschanel on the TV show New Girl. The poll's second place went to "felfie" (a farmer selfie) and third to "fatberg" (a large amount of solid waste). Lucy Mangan, contributor to the Collins English Dictionary said: "The people – or at least the tweeple – have spoken. Adorkable is the word they can't be without". The dictionary's 12th edition will be published in October and is the first to include a word sourced through Twitter.
Spot the Dog author and illustrator Eric Hill has died aged 86. Puffin Books have said that he died after a short illness at his home in California. Hill's popular children books about Spot the Dog has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and been translated into over sixty languages. Hill would refer to himself as "Spot's Dad" and first read the stories to his two-year-old son at bedtime. His publisher Puffin books have said: "Eric's ingenious lift-the-flap device turned the reading of a Spot book into a glorious game of hide and seek, enjoyed by children and adults alike." Hill's family said: "Although this time of loss is a great hardship for us, we can honestly say that we take some solace in the joy he brought to so many children and families through his work. We know Spot, and therefore Eric, has had a beloved presence in so many homes and bedtime readings." Hill is survived by his wife and two children.
Auction Roundup
A painting by LS Lowry has sold for £2.3 million at auction. Named Station Approach, Manchester, the work shows a scene outside the London and North Western Railway Exchange Station. It was included in Sotheby auction house's sale of modern and post-war British art. Frances Christie, Sotheby's spokeswoman, said it is "a superb example of Lowry at his very best." The station which is the subject of Lowry's painting and is close to Manchester Cathedral has since been fully demolished. The Victorian front of the station had already been removed when Lowry painted the work in 1960.
A pair of World War One biscuits is up for auction. The biscuits are dated back to August 1915, and were brought back from modern-day Turkey by a British Soldier. The biscuits are thought to have belonged to Lieutenant Lionel Bruce Charles, who fought at the 1915 Gallipoli/Dardanelles campaign. Bidding will start at £60 at Lockdales in Suffolk on the 19 June. WWI biscuits were particularly hard to bite through, which is why a number have survived.
JK Rowling donates £1m to Better Together campaign
JK Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series, has donated £1million to the Better Together campaign in the Scottish Independence debate. Although born in England, Rowling has lived in Scotland for 21 years. In a post on her blog Rowling has explained her views following her donation. She has compared the most extreme nationalists to the Death Eaters of her children's books, saying: "When people try to make this debate about the purity of your lineage, things start getting a little Death Eaterish for my taste." Rowling also said in her blog post: "The more I listen to the Yes campaign, the more I worry about its minimisation and even denial of risks. Whenever the big issues are raised – our heavy reliance on oil revenue if we become independent, what currency we'll use, whether we'll get back into the EU – reasonable questions are drowned out by accusations of 'scaremongering'".
Dormice to be released in Nottinghamshire woodland
Woodland in Nottinghamshire is set to see the release of captive-bred hazel dormice. This is part of a project to help the endangered mammal, following a successful reintroduction of the rodents in the county last year. 43 dormice are going to be released at a secret location by The People's Trust for Endangered Species. Dormice were once common in much of England but changes to woodland management, loss of hedgerows and the fragmentation of their woodland habit has meant they are now close to extinction. Ian White, dormouse officer at PTES, said: "We cannot undo overnight the changes that have contributed to the decline of dormice. But with time and careful management we can create sustainable areas of woodland and hedgerows so that dormice can re-establish themselves and thrive."
Twitter vote sees "adorkable" enter the dictionary
The new Collins English Dictionary has used Twitter in search of new words. A poll was set up for users to choose words for the next edition, with "adorkable" being the winner. Collins English Dictionary have said that "adorkable" is a blend of adorable and dork and is slang for "socially inept or unfashionable in a charming or endearing way". The term was first popularised by Zooey Deschanel on the TV show New Girl. The poll's second place went to "felfie" (a farmer selfie) and third to "fatberg" (a large amount of solid waste). Lucy Mangan, contributor to the Collins English Dictionary said: "The people – or at least the tweeple – have spoken. Adorkable is the word they can't be without". The dictionary's 12th edition will be published in October and is the first to include a word sourced through Twitter.