Goodbye September

All too quickly September is just about to pass and it's been a really great month. Ruby gets more lovesome and fun with every passing month, we've had more bright, warm and sunny days than we had any right to expect, we had an amazing time in the Lake District, a great day out in Liverpool, seen some good films (Watchemen, Chinatown, All About Eve, Hunger -which was absolutely astonishing), I can now get Spotify on my iPhone, the Wire concluded brilliantly and it's been wonderful having Georgi to stay. There's also been lots of good news in the news, in stark contrast to September last year. Share prices are soaring, the housing market growing, the economy is shrinking less, Germany and Japan are out of recession and looks like we'll be out soon too. Lots for us all to be happy about and to look forward to in October.
Here are a few pictures from my cycle home, last night.

Art Car Boot Fair

Ruby, Georgi, Ibolya and I went to the Art Car Boot Fair on Saturday, at Tom Dixon's magnificently revamped Portobello Dock, part of a week long design extravaganza.
It was fantastic to see Virgin's old HQ, which straddles the Regent Canal, opened to the public and showcasing work by young and interesting designers and craftspeople, including Jackie Chanarin's beautiful ceramics. And I really liked the Tokyo Bicycles.
After we'd done the fair, we had a wonderful warm, sunny, walk back home, along the canal tow path.

All About Eve

Last night, Ibolya and I were invited to attend a 'gala' screening of 'All About Eve', at the phenomenal Lexi Cinema, down the road from us in Kensal Rise.
The evening was put on by the Flicker Club who are a boutique cinema club, who show movies on the last Thursday of every month at the Lexi. This year, the theme of the movies are short story adaptations. Each movie is introduced by a reading from the source story by a specially invited, celebrity, guest.
The mighty Bob Books (here's a bit of viral marketing for you: there's 25% off until end of December if you use voucher code BOBNEWS) supplies flick books for the Flicker Club's goodie bags.
So after we were treated to dry martinis and cocktails, we took our seats in the theater, the lights dimmed and we were introduced to, none other than, 'Miss' Joan (ruddy) Collins!
She beautifully read the opening chapter of Mary Orr's 'The Wisdom of Eve' and the film started.
It's been a while since I last saw it but it's a terrific film, hardly cinematic but dazzling written.
I hadn't appreciated before it's daring use of language, so much sexually charged dialog, expertly hidden behind the banality imposed by the Hayes Code.
By far the biggest highlight of the film, for me, was George Sander's magnificently camp and spiteful performance as Addison De Witt. The epitome of the English cad in all it's wit, malice and urbanity.
I CANNOT wait for the Flicker Club's screening, one of my all time great favourite films, and one the 10 greatest British films ever made: the Godlike Genius of Nic Roeg's 'Don't Look Now'

Turner and the Masters

Opened at Tate Britain today and had a very quick run round it at lunchtime. It's an absolutely stunning show. I had low expectations and thought you couldn't possibly rinse anymore out of the already massively over exposed JMW Turner. But I'm completely surprised and excited by this show which pits him against his contemporaries, heroes and friends.
There are some truly astonishing paintings here, including work by Rubens, Cannaletto, Poussin and Titian. The rarely seen Rembrandts alone make it unmissable. I particularly enjoyed the couple of works by Jacob Van Ruisdael, I can't get his 'Rough Sea' and 'Rough Sea at a Jetty' out of mind . It's also great to see a couple of, Nottingham's own, Richard Parkes Bonnington.
The show also confirms what I've long thought, that Turner can't paint figures for toffee; bless him, they're awful.

Weekend with The Reads

Ruby was poorly on Friday evening, burning up with a temperature of 39 degrees, lethargic and completely not herself. Her poor little cheeks were red hot and she shivered and murmured horribly. A cold bath and Capol helped her through the night and keeping her dosed up, something we hate doing, got her through the weekend in nearly her normal, cheerful, self.
The Reads arrived on Friday night, to spend a birthday weekend with Becky. So we had cousin Derek, Mary, David and Becky's boyfriend Andy. We were also joined on Saturday by Georgi, the dog, who's staying with us for the next 2 weeks.


After breakfast, on Saturday morning, the boys and Ruby went to the Imperial War Museum, while the girls went to Hampton Court
A light, liquid lunch on the Kennington road

and yogurt after dinner for Ruby

Georgi's missing Andy and not all that happy to be back in London

I don't know why but I find laying our dinning table, neatly and all in white, extremely satisfying and helps me cook better

Sunday afternoon we walked to Holland Park

and had a terrific Ploughman's Lunch in the Windsor Castle off Kensington Church Street

Ruby is loving Georgi being around and they're both getting to know each other well

Afternoon tea, back at ours

After all the Reads had gone, Ruby, Ibolya, Georgi and I had a late afternoon, autumnal, stroll in Roundwood Park. Ruby practiced her waving, which she's getting really good at now, and her assisted walking

Ruby, Georgi, Ibolya and I....

....go for a walk in Roundwood Park, late Sunday afternoon.

Me and Orson Welles

I'm a sucker for films with actors playing Orson Welles so I'll be quite interested to see this soon.
I hope Christina McKay does as good a job as Vincent D'Onofrio in 'Ed Wood' (my favourite Orson Welles), Danny Huston in 'Fade To Black' or Liev Schreiber in RKO281.

No More Wire

After something like 9 months, The Wire ended last night for Stephen, Mark, Mike and I.

It's been a truly awesome series; perhaps not quite the greatest TV show of all time, as many people have said it is (I think Sopranos has the edge) but definitely the best cop show of all time.

It feels sad to leave the company of McNulty, Freamon, Bubs, Marlo, Omar and Carcetti, I'm going to miss them very much. Here's a really good piece from the New York Times, which describes how good the final episode was.

Out next show, we think, will be Mad Men.