Gardening blogGardensIvy: the forgotten festive plantOften dismissed as an unwelcome invader, this evergreen climber is useful in the garden and as part of festive decorations, writes Andy ByfieldNote from gardening editor Jane Perrone: this post was scheduled to go up before Christmas but technology problems - mine, not the author's - resulted in a delay. Apologies to all. The holly and the ivy, When they are both full grown, Of all the trees that are in the wood,

FruitNot-quite-chocolate-pudding fruit: why black sapote is 'utterly unexpected and delightful'Creamy and very pleasing, black sapote is a treat on its own – and makes a very successful fruit loaf too I read a bittersweet autobiography by the outrageously talented Jeanette Winterson while living in the UK in the early 2000s. It was marvellously titled Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Without getting into it, you immediately get the gist. I think back to that title as much as to the story itself.

‘Sonic explorations’: María Mónica Gutiérrez, AKA Montañera. Photograph: Nicolás Cañon‘Sonic explorations’: María Mónica Gutiérrez, AKA Montañera. Photograph: Nicolás CañonOne to watchMusicThe London-based Colombian singer-songwriter and composer travels through space, time and genres with her trusty Korg synthesiser Cities can be lonely places until you find your footing, especially if you’ve travelled from another continent. But María Mónica Gutiérrez has created her own choir to keep her company. The singer-songwriter and composer layers her vocals to ethereal effect, recalling the delicate layering of Imogen Heap but also the music of her motherland, Colombia – such as bullerengue, where groups of women harmonise to promote peace and preserve traditions.

Leonard Cohen This article is more than 4 years old'You're too much in my heart': Leonard Cohen letters to muse set for auctionThis article is more than 4 years oldChristie’s says letters to Marianne Ihlen document ‘one of the most captivating love affairs of its time as well as the transformation of a young man into a great artist’ It was one of the great love stories of the “flower power” era of the 1960s.

Television industryBBC documentary prompts war crimes investigationAn acclaimed BBC documentary on Auschwitz has prompted what is likely to be one of the last ever war crimes investigations after an 83-year-old German admitted on camera killing Soviet Jews while part of an SS firing squad. The admission is part of the BBC2 series, Auschwitz, the Nazis and the Final Solution, that started running earlier this year. It was based on nearly 100 interviews with survivors and perpetrators, many of whom were speaking in detail about their wartime experiences for the first time.