I am told that the first comprehensible word I uttered as a child was 'home.

Dear Lady Gaga , thank you for the wonderful tribute. Oh my god, it really warmed my heart!

In the old days it was important, but not as important as it is today, to keep making success after success after success. It's terrifying today. You can maybe have one so-so movie but you've got to come back with another that's huge, if possible, and that must be very, very difficult for young talent.

The world is full of magical places, and the library has always been one of them for me. A library can be that special place for our children.

Sadly I don't sing. I missed it for a long time, but my daughter Emma said something wonderful when I was feeling blue one day: "Mom, you've just found a different way of using your voice, and that's with your books." In a way, she's right. It's just a different way of expressing what I feel about music, individuality, art and all the things I've always loved.

If you just literally stand still for a while, listen and think, things will eventually get sorted out.

Because of the Thames I have always loved inland waterways - water in general, water sounds - there's music in water. Brooks babbling, fountains splashing. Weirs, waterfalls; tumbling, gushing.