The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 13

sidelines Giving cards the three kings of orient two of AS I WROTE last Wednesday, the standard of charity cards varies from the banal to the masterly. But I would still recommend that you choose your charity, then pick your picture and hope friends will allow for tho looks. If none of the charities mentioned here quite suit the taste the Charity Christmas Card Council, 1 Long Acre, London WC2, Lepra Cardshops, Spirella House, 226270 Regent Street, London Wl, will send lists. The 1959. Group of Charities, 224 Walworth Road, London SE 17, will also send a list of addresses of their shops.

All organisations need large' self-addressed, stamped envelopes for sending out replies. UNICEF's international standards of Christmas cards, by internationally famous artists, is as much a delight to the eye as ever. If there is any disadvantage'', it is only that, being' so beautiful' and for so excellent and universal a cause, their cards coming from anywhere in the world are the same and the fun of the unexpected illustration is dulled surely a small' price to pay when spending 75p generates enough funds to treat a child who has leprosy over the average necessary time of three years. UNICEF's diary a week to a page opposite card designs from the selections of the years 1967-72 comes in a carton ready to post for 1.25. Boxes of 25 mini cards cost S5p (they can double as jrift tags) and an assorted gift pack of 50 cards is 2.50.

Brochures and details from UNIOEF Greeting Card Operation, 14 Stratford Place. London WIN 9AF (same address for diaries and cards). It is terrible that there has to be an NSPCC but there's no dodging the need, the problem, the sorrow. Last year alone some 62,000 children were involved in new cases referred to thean and nearly a quarter of those children were under five. Their brochure offers cards, wrapping paper, notelets, and pi Ft tags in a mixture of designs for different tastes.

Specially attractive is the set of five cards for children to colour a cracker, the three shins that went sailins bv. a stack of presents, the partridge in a pear tree, and each card in a pace cost isp. jsrocnure and order form from NSPCC Greeting Cards, Ltd, PO Box 18, Tonbridge. Kent TN9 ZUA. Considering how important the work done by The Marie Curie Memorial Foundation, their assault upon Christmas giving is very modest a large sheet of 60 seals and labels to be sold at 50p a sheet or a suggested 2p for the labels and lp for seals.

The suggestion is that friends and well-wishers should buy the sheets and sell them to their own circle. Information on the back of the sheet gives some small idea of what the foundation does home nursing, comfort and research, future aims in education and rehabilitation. Details from the foundation's head office, 124 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9BP. Cheques and postal orders (crossed) payable to MCMF. As well as a selection of cards The Children's Society, offer an advent calendar open one window each day from December 1 to Christmas Eve at 20p.

wrapping paper at lOp a pack, and jollied up yellow dusters with pictures on them (three dusters in a pack) at 65p. Also packs of cards in outline only for children to colour themselves 12 cards for 45p with envelopes and colouring pens. The designs are simple but charming and ought to amuse any child. Leaflet from Children's Society Cards, Ltd, P.O. Box 109 London SE11 4QN.

Helpcards was founded five years ago by 19 charities (now 28) and offers 47 different cards in various packs proceeds to organisations like the Docklands Settlements, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. A bargain box of 20 different cards costs 40p (2p a card), striped ribbon is 5p a shank, a diary with measurement and conversion tables is 45p. Their cards are at branches of Rymans, Church of England Bookshops, many post offices. Selfridges and shops in the Lewis, Debenhams and John Lewis Partnership groups. For extra information write to Ann Fosey.

Joint Charity Cards Association Ltd. 4450 Osna-burgh Street, London NW1. picture of Morag Hood by Don McPhee Wan? eumcil a ipfieee Stanley Reynolds reports Nancy Tuft Ginger group (NET). Perhaps this is the reason why Nyree Dawn Porter never shot to stardom. The Saga, for all the humph the BBC put out about it and which the press patriotically reprinted, never really made it in the States.

The Russians might have loved it and the Yugoslavs may have stayed in on Saturday nights to watch it, but in America, which is the star-maker, the mecca to which even the Beatles and David Frost had to crawl, the Saga only ran on NET. In Britain NET is thought of as the American BBC. But it isn't. It doesn't have the tradition nor the audience of the BBC. It doesn't even have colour.

All it has that resembles the BBC is no commercials and, of course, shows like the Saga and War and Peace." It is the channel which runs all the really good stuff, the stuff you should watch because it is good for you and which nobody watches. Morag will be recognised in Boston because the place is full of colleges and universities, and people drinking tea and all that, but if she were in Omaha no one would turn and stare. And you've got to appeal to Omaha if you want to be a star. "Will this go down in Peru Groucho Marx asked, meaning Peru, Indiana, home of middle American middle-taste, not the famous land of the Incas. How it must torture some of the mercenary souls at the BBC that their product does not go down in Peru.

Still it is not at all a bad thing that Britain's video fare is too high-class for the slobs in Omaha and Peru, Kansas City and St Paul, sitting there in front of the television in their underwear drinking cans of beer. If the BBC produced a "War and Peace which appealed to them we'd have something to worry about. Morag Hood is not counting on America suddenly taking her to its bosom in the next 20 weeks. She made enough money out of War and Peace to afford a few more transatlantic jet trips, besides, she says, she wears size 8 dress and can buy all her clothes in the children's department and does not have to pay purchase tax. There's nothing like a Scottish lass for being canny with money.

OFFSTAGE she is rather a mess, very little and thin with no makeup, and the sort of short hair which looks as if she had just been deloused. I was surprised to learn that, when she decided to get her once very long hair cut, she went to Paul at Innoxa in Bond Street, next to Sassoon's. That was last New Year," she said. Since then, I thought, she must have been cutting it herself. But her hair had been under a large blonde wig all that evening while she played Juliet and I suppose that was the reason why it looked rather crushed.

Morag (Scottish for Sarah) Hood was a marvellous Juliet. She is only five feet tall and weighs just seven stone, and she actually looked 14 vears of age on the stage although her bosom is rather large and was much appreciated by the schoolboys in the gallery who were there because they are doing Romeo and Juliet for their level. When she plaved Natasha Rostova in the BBC's "War and Peace," she had to get her bosom strapped in but, harder than that, she had to go from teenager to a middle aged woman. It was an impossible part, but a lot of people loved her in it. A lot of peonle hated her too.

Morag knows Clive James's Observer review by heart. He said someone should throw a tarpaulin over her and pes her down. While she was being Natasha, Tolstoy's symbol of virginity and happy childhood, Morag up in the altogether doing a full-frontal Lesbian love scene in 'Breeze Anstey," one of Granada's prize-winning Countrv Matters plays. A few years ago this juxtaposition would have created something of a video scandal, but now it passed unremarked. The interesting thing about Morag is that there she was playing the lead for 20 weeks in the BBC's big much ballyhooed production of "War and Peace which was practically the Royal wedding of last year, and here she is just finishing three weeks playing rep in Liverpool for 50 a week, which is just slightly over seven quid a show.

In fact, she went from "War and Peace" to playing the Pressure group activities have included the submission of evidence to the Finer Committee, whose report has yet to see the light of day. It was way back in 1971 when Gingerbread gave their views when they were a very voung organisation a lot more could be told now. A policv statement called "One Parent Families a Finer Future" (75p) reaffirming Gingerbread's philosophy has just been issued. They have offered a memorandum of views and information to the Law Commission's working party on family courts, their main criticism being that going to court (and it is usually the innocent partv who has to go to court) means waiting about for hours on end with nowhere to park the said family. Few separated parents can afford a paid child minder.

What emerges time and time again from Gingerbread experience is the complete absence of consumer representation on so-called representative lay committees. No doubt these views will get a thorough airing in the new magazine since gingering up the authorities is one of its intentions. Gingerbread are also planning a conference on April 19-21. How to Survive is the theme and it is open to anvone interested in the oroblems of one-parent families as well as members. It is to be held at RutHns.in Clacton.

and vou can bring the kids. Details ol the conference, magazine, subscriptions and policu statement from Ginaerbread, 9 Poland Street. London W1V 3DG. Tel. 01-734 9014.

GINGER is a new magazine due out in the middle of this month and published bv Gingerbread, the self-help organisation for one-parent families. It will come out monthly and a year's subscription costs 1.50 or 50p for four issues. The aim is to get into contact with those single-handed mothers or fathers who are geographically isolated and too far away to get to their local Gingerbread group. There are now 07 of these all over the country and new ones are starting up at the rate of two a week. Local groups arrange activities for the children; they run toy and clothing pools and also pool information.

Ruth Cohen, the national groups coordinator, is pleased to see people who were helped over their separation crisis by Gingerbread in the early days now coming back and offering help to the others. The idea isn't to belong to Gingerbread for life, but just for as long as the need is there. People do re-marry (not necessarily other members) and anyway that isn't the idea behind the groups. Ruth, who is one of the few Gingerbread people who is single (she must be free to travel around the groups) has found the experience of other people's marital misadventures a bit off-putting I'd think about marriage so long and so seriously, it would probably never happen Gingerbread, four years old next month, has been housed for the past two years in a rent and electricity free office provided by the Joseph Rowntree Social Services Trust. a week while you were at university and everyone else was on grants and grubbing for money, It gives you a special psychological advantage which lasts the rest of your life.

Anyway, she doesn't seem particularly concerned about earning big money on War and Peace and then suddenly not earning it any more. She just shrugs her shoulders about no film companies coming forward with contracts. There is an American boy friend, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and last week she flew to Boston to spend the rest of the academic year with him. Last year he was at Stamford University in California doing cancer research, and she kept house for him and pulled a sort of David Frost, commuting 6,000 miles to act with the Scottish National Theatre at the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh and to appear in the Lorca play at Greenwich. "War and Peace," she said, paid for that sort of commuting and for the daily telephone call to the boy friend.

Now people are going to start recognising Morag Hood on the streets of Boston. Previously in the United States she passed as just an ordinary everyday unmarried housewife, but last week "War and Peace" started on American television and the neigh-hours will know that Natasha Rastova has moved in next door. War and Peace has at long last been sold to America, but it is only on the National Education channel hunchback In Lorca's "The House of Bernarda Alba" in Greenwich for 25 3 week. What is interesting about these big television dramas like "War and Peace" and "The Forsyte Saga" is just what happens to the star afterwards. Of course Kenneth More is going to go on being Kenneth More and Eric Porter was a big actor before he played Soames Forsyte.

But what of the -people who were not known beforehand. Nyree Dawn Porter did a terrible television series called "The and then nothing. Suddenly she popped up on the cover of the TV Times and the face was sort of familiar but you couldn't put a name to it. Morag is pretty stoic and Scottish about the whole thing. She is not very theatrical even though she smokes with a long cigarette holder.

She did not go to drama school. She was at Glasgow University, doing a degree in English, French, and Economics, and came into the theatre by a curious route. Doing her three years at university she was the hostess on a weekly hour-long live teenage current events programme called Roundup on Scottish TV. This got her a job at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Perthshire. Afterwards she went to the Dundee Rep, then to Liverpool and from there into television she was the librarian with "Coronation Street" for a time.

Perhaps when you have earned 50 The second part John Arlott's Christmas list WSime ttalblle a Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spatlese 1971, 2.15; and a Rudesheimer Magdalenenkrauz Riesling Auslese 1970 (Rheingau), 2.75. Victoria Tylers have a Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Spatlese 1971, Winzernerein Deindesheim (Palatinate), 2.17. Har-veys list Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Auslese 1971 (Rheingau), 3.81. Berry Bros, have Schloss Johannis-berger Grublack Spatlese 1971 (Rheingau), 3.02 and Forster Pechstein Riesling Auslese Dr Burklin Wolf 1967 (Palatinate), 3.35. Ehrmann list an unusually good Scheurbe, Annaberg Scheurbe SpStlese Stumpf Fitzsche Weingut 1970 (Palatinate), 3.

Genevieve have the Ruwer, Schloss Bockel-heimer Konigsfels Riesling SpStlese 1971, 1.79. Everyone is constantly and Infuria-tingly exhorted to shop early for almost everything: for an adequate choice of wine that advice was never more sound than at Christmas, 1973. Whighams of Ayr Ltd, 8 Academy Street. Ayr KA7 1HT. Whitwhams Wines Ltd.

8 Old Market Place, AUrincham. Cheshire. Yapp Brothers, Mere Wiltshire, M. Youdell Co Ltd, 31 Strickland-gate, Kendal, Westmorland. Richard Kihl Ltd, 160 Regents Park Road.

London NW1 8XN. Justerini Brooks Ltd. 61 St James's Street, London SW1A 1LZ. Laytons. II Gouah Square, London EC4 3JJ.

J. L. P. Lebegue A Co Ltd, 87-95 Tooley Street. London Bridge SE1 2RZ.

Longman. Harman Black, 75 Egerton Gardens, London SW7. Other addresses appeared to last Thursday's Miscellany. Auxey-Duresse "Le Val" 1964-S (2.42) and Vosne Romanee 1969 (3). Averys of Bristol their own bottled Corton 1970 (3) and a DB Pernand Vergelesses 1970 (3.30).

Whitwhams Le Corton 1964 (3.20), and G. F. Grant's Beaune "Bressandes" 1967 (3.45) and "Cent Vignes 1966 (3.88) are all genuinely mature. You-dells offer a Pommard 1970 (FB) at 2.35. A Chateau Corton Grancey 1970 (DB) at 3.65, and a rather splendid Richebourg 1969 (DB) for 5.25.

There are no more outstanding values than among the Rhone wines such reds as Cote Rotie, Domaine Bruno Thierry (Peter Dominic, 2.64) Clos de lX)ratoire des Papes (KIHL, 2.64) Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de Beaurenard 1970 (Genevieve, (1.50) a Domaine de Mont Redon 1961 from Whitwhams. Yapp Brothers who specialise in these wines and sell only by the dozen have the splendid red Hermitage La Chappelle 1970 at 3.25, and the fine white Le Chevalier de Sterimtoerg 1971-2 for 2.31 their list is well worth writing for. Graves drinkers are amply catered for in Chateau Bouscaut 1964 (Whitwhams 2.65) Chateau Lagarde 1970 (Averys 1.75) Chateau Carbonnieux 1964 (Colemans 1.54) Chateau Filhot 1971 (Tanners 1.68). In what Raymond Postgate called the Rhenish range Loeb list Mue-nsterer Pittersberg Riesling Auslese, Staatliche Weinbaudomaene 1969 (Nahe), 2.38; Wachenheimer Geruempel Riesling Spatlese. Dr Buerklin-Wolf 1970 (Palatinate).

2.50; and the Moselle Bernkasteler Badstube Cabinet, J. J. Pruemm 1970, 2.18. Dolamore list an interesting Forster Kirohenstuck Riesling Spatlese 1971 (Palatinate), 2.58. Laytons have (3.30).

VictoriaTylers list Chateau -Talbot 1966 (4.70) and Clos Fourtet 1964 (3.33). Among a number of worthwhile bottles from Samuel Webster are Chateau Montrose 1962 (2.85), and Chateau Gruaud la Rose 1964 (2.69). Some 1970 clarets are still on offer at possible prices but the better wines of that vintage are not ready and other lesser years are, better drinking now. Certainly the 1967s have proved advanced and flexible Whitwhams have the Chateau Giscours (4.70) Hatch Mansfield who prefer to sell in dozens Chateau Palmer (2.15) and Chateau Nenin (2.45) Findlater, Mackie Todd Chateau l'Evangile (3.63) Old Chelsea Wine Stores Chateau Landette (2.26) Clarke Williams Chateau St Pierre Sevaistre (2.26) Coleman Chateau Canon la Gaffeliere (4.53). Choosing among some not too highly priced white burgundies of fine quality, Clarke Williams (Salubrious Cellars) have a Beaune Clos des Mouches from Drouhin (3.60) Peter Dominic a Corton Charlemagne 1968 (3.95) and a Chablis grand cru, Les Clos 1971 (2.87) the 1970 from Whitwhams is 3.95 and Baty a Ohassagne-Montrachet 1970, is 3.26; Berry Brothers Rudd the Chablis Grand cru, Bougrots 1970 (3.5) Youdell a Puldgny Montrachet (2.35), and a Corton Charlemagne from the Anoien Domaine des Comtes de Gran-cey, 1970 (4.25): a Batard Montrachet (Domaine Ramonee Proudhon) 1971 is 4.84 from Corney Barrow.

Red burgundy, too, is competitive. Longman. Harman Black offer a Gevrev Chambertin 1967 (3.40) a Beaune Blanchefleur 1970 (2.98) and a Beaune Greve 1967 (3.9). These are all full and ready. Tastevin have an to a quite remarkable 19 of alcohol in bottle the Recioto Amarone a dry extremely full-bodied red.

Only 2,000 bottles separately numbered of each were produced in 1970, and 200 were allocated to England. They are quite distinctive and cost 5.68 a bottle from Old Chelsea Wine Stores. As to the best balance between quality and economy, we should not cry over unbought wine but, forgetting the fact that most of these bottles cost half their present prices in 1970, do as well as we can for ourselves now. The hardest search and, fortunately, the widest choice for good, fairly priced bottles is among the clarets. Stocks, though, are far from inexhaustible and many of these will not be seen on the market again after this year.

For instance, Justerini Brooks have or had a few days ago a series of London bottled clarets of good age Ducru Beaucaillou 1957 (3.8).- Chateau Pavie 1959 (4.30). and Chateau Chasse Spleen 1959 (3.85) while Victoria WineTylers (whose list is drily illustrated by Papas) offer a London bottled Chateau Giscours 1959 at 2.61. Whitwhams Chateau Haut Batailley 1959 at 4.50. too, is a rapidly disappearing and drinkable vintage. Berry Brothers Rudd, now more than ever before outstanding as dealers in London-bottled clarets, offer Chateau Leoville Barton 1962 (3.30); Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou still the most frequently undervalued of good claret 1964 Chateau Giscours 1966 (2.5); Chateau Batailley 1967 (1.54).

In the chateau-bottled Genevieve Wines, in their new shop near King's Cross, have some eminently reasonable bottles of good quality: Chateau Fombrague 1966 (2.47) and Chateau Rouget 1966 Chateau Margaux 1959 at 20.50, Chateau Haut Brion at 19.54. The Christmas luxury drinker can choose from a magnum of Romanee-Conti 1966 32.56 on G. F. Grant's skilfully selective list: Romanee St Vivant, 15, and Grands Echezaux, 7.34 (both from Lebegue, limited stocks); Chambertin Clos de Beze (Justerini Brooks, 19), I Chambolle -Musigny Charmes 1934 an interesting proposition (Whit-wham 15. Vintage Wines 16.50).

The finest white burgundies include, -notably, Le Montrachet 1970 Domaine de la Romanee Conti (Corney Barrow. 24.20) and Chambolle Musigny "Les Amoreuses" 1959 (Laytons, 16.50 the magnum). The generally termed hook-drinkers have a wide range. Loeb always reliable and often outstanding in this field offer variously Niederfaauser Hermannshoele Riesling Trocken-beerenauslese of the Statliche Wein-baudomaene (Nahe) at 21.80, Wachenheimer Mandelgarten Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese of Dr Buerklin-Wolf (Palatinate) at 23.25, and, from the Moselle, Graacher Him-melreich Trockenbeerenauslese, Frei-drich Wilhelm Gymnasium at 32.10 all these are from the excellent 1971 vintage and in each case half bottles are available. Adnams have a 1970 Eis-wenr made from frozen grapes Eitelsbachser Marienholz Feire lese from the Ruwer at 5.35 Clarke Williams a Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck, Rottland Trockenbeerenauslese of 1971 at 20.

Two unusual Italian items are the Veronese recioto. made from the recte (ears) or outside bunches of grapes which get most of the sun. The Recioto Bianco is a deeply rich white dessert wine, estimated to increase from .14.50 EXPENDITURE on Christmas drink depends whether one sees it as automatic, duty, or luxury. Few will buy the absolute cheapest; fewer still, probably, the dearest most will, aim for the middle belt between the sound reasonably priced, and the good buy which is better than their normal bottle. These notes on table wines indicate some luxuries if only for the vicarious pleasure of catalogue shopping and some good wine prices which may have seemed high a year ago but are fair-to-rare at present.

They are available from merchants in various parts of the country, who offer a wide choice and have catalogues available. In almost all cases they allow a discount for purchases by the dozen. Readers should note, with caution, that some list prices include, and others exclude, VAT. The exclusive lists can produce shocks: inclusive prices should soon become generaL Figures given fcere include VAT. For those who step into the deeper of these waters, it must be emphasised that the price gap between fine and everyday wines is apparent to the most inexperienced palate: and there are few more deflating experiences than following a great bottle with an ordinaire.

All these wines are chateau, domaine, or locally bottled otherwise stated. Some- splendidly luxurious wines appear in- the' Christmas catalogues. Among clarets, Augustus Barnett has a Chateau Latour 1890 at 275 Whit-whams (theirs is -an imposingly readable list) a magnum- of Lafite 1870 for 300, and a magnum, of Cheval Blanc 1962 for 29. Justerini Brooks list a bottle at 11.55. Laytons have a ran To: Christien Sell limited 4g pages off successful ideas exclusive to Christien SeH i a.

IFA I rl I I' 45 Camdenfaasage London I i I Nl IHW I I You'll find new desiens. new schemes, ereat furniture in the Christien Sell catalogue. Seating, beds, multi-functional storage -there are over 50 beautiful design coordinated units for everywhere in the home. Exclusively designed, all Christien Sell furniture has been selected for inclusion in Design Index all is craftsman-made at Christien Sell's own factories and supplied to you at direct selling prices. So send for your free copy of the catalogue now-and shop at your leisure..