I’m 59 and I’m cool.David Bellamy, Botanist, Writer and BroadcasterBALLETWhen I was very young, I used to listen to the Blue Door Theatre on Children’s Hour, which was the only thing we had in those days I think my interest in the ballet developed from there. It’s just as well that I don’t ride because I’m always daydreaming and looking around I would probably be dead by now Riding pillion on a Harley makes you feel cool. When you are dressed in your leather and you are a biker you become a different person and riding along in the open air you smell things and see the countryside in a different way. On the back of my boyfriend’s bike I’ve done thousands and thousands of miles in all weathers. I get all the thrills and the danger without actually piloting the damn thing I love the sense of being on the edge in all sorts of ways.

I wanted very much to ride myself, but I fell off, got the bruises, lost my nerve and my life changed because my marriage broke up and I didn’t want to do it any more But I didn’t lose my love for riding Biker culture absolutely fascinates me I think it’s enormous fun, I love riding around. Then I thought “why not?” Riding pillion is also a secret little joke against myself, because it’s my public acknowledgement that I never managed to pass my test. In it I said that I would never ride pillion on a Harley across the States. I love concentration, I love it in people; I love it in text. I love things that are very deep and very concentrated and meditation is part of that.Bel Mooney, Writer and BroadcasterRIDING PILLION ON A HARLEY-DAVIDSONYears ago I wrote an article about getting older and coming to terms with all the things you will never do. For life – and, of course, for work – meditation directs one or steers one into the way of concentration.

When I first met him he was very prescient: he said I don’t think you breathe very well, and I said I don’t – to tell you the truth I’m not sure I live very well He sent me one of his breathing tapes Breathing is one of the steps towards meditation. To be aware of the breathing, and to watch it as well as hear it – just to watch one’s breathing going in and out, is a very good device. We think billions of thoughts every day, apparently, and to focus briefly or lengthily on that non-thought or nothing is terribly hard My device for doing it is breathing One of my great friends is Dr Andrew Weil, who is a guru. They were very lucky sheep.Edna O’Brien, AuthorMEDITATINGWhat drew me to meditation is what I think is very, very valuable and deep – that it stops – or helps to stop – the thoughts rattling on and on.

I also made a harness for him and took photos of him being a lawnmower So we had some fun with them. I’d go out into the orchard and Xeno would run towards me like a dog. I used to consult Xeno – look into his big round eyes and ask him to impart some wisdom about the future Consult him as you would an oracle He just looked at me full of puzzlement He died of old age, about 12 years old It upset me very much at the time I was young enough then to think about daft ideas like that They were like pets. One of my sheep I called Sadie after my daughter, and another I called Xeno after the Sophist philosopher He’s in my book Between the Eyes. I have a two-and-a-half-acre paddock with apple trees at the back here in Maidstone, which is where my sheep were because they kept the grass down I had about half a dozen. They are beautiful things.Ralph Steadman, ArtistSHEEP HUSBANDRYI’ve always loved sheep – I think they’re gorgeous creatures They’re placid and I look on their stupidity as a wisdom.

The great thing about them is that you can come in at any price range. Proper map collectors would have a fit, but I do keep quite a lot on display. They’re English because I was particularly interested in English history Some of the earliest ones are from the 14th century. My collection has probably proved to be a very astute investment, not that I would ever want to sell any You can pay millions of pounds for maps – not that I have. The thing that really turns me on about maps is that they are cultural, economic and political reflections of the time in which they were made They are a part of history I’ve got around 100. Occasionally, I was allowed one as long as I didn’t tell my mum how much he had spent on a stamp.