Saturday 17th May: Nottingham

Up at 6.00 to catch the 7.15 from St Pancras to Nottingham to tell Mum and Dad the news.

This billboard at Willesden Junction made me laugh. Why would I ever want to buy a product endorsed by Ross Kemp and why swould I want to buy this just because he finds it easy?

Ibs waiting for the train at WJ.

We always feel so glad that Mum and Dad they live where they do, as getting the train from to St. Pancras is such a great pleasure. Oodles of good places to eat and drink and is full of the excitement of international travel.

Mum and Dad were delighted with our news. Mum, as she always does, had a pork pie waiting for me and lunch of local sausages and black pudding was just perfect.

After lunch, we visited Auntie Margaret.

Then stopped by this fantastic store on Derby road, Danish Home Store, full of 1960's and 70's vintage danish furniture.

Back home, Ibs, Mum and I took a walk round Lady Bay. I was eager to see some of my favourite buildings, from where I grew up.

I love these couple of unusual houses in Julian Road, with grand, almost, Italianate plaster work.



Our local Chippy, a big part of my life for many years.

The Junior school that my sisters and I attended

The old, long closed, Co-Op supermarket.

I really liked this lovely little garden which filled me with garden envy.



Mum made a delicious, very seasonal dinner: Asparagus soup and asparagus with knob of butter to start, beef and New Jersey Royal potatoes for mains and strawberries ice cream and clottered cream for desert.



Mum and Dad have been visited by these Mallards every day for the last few weeks now, we were so pleased that true to form, they turned up for breakfast.

Friday 16th May: Copperfield Road

I'm really behind and got a lot of catching up to do since last week. So I'll create a post for each day I need to write up.

On Friday night, Stephen and I went to Acme Studios, Copperfield Road, Mile End, to meet Pete and Karen and see Pete's latest paintings.

We see Pete's work a couple of times a year and it's always thrilling to see how much they've progressed since the last time we saw them. This time time, they've grown in confidence, assurance and beauty than at anytime I've seen them before.

They're everything I consider good art to be and it's a very rare thing;

1. They don't look like anyone else's painting and are completely original


2. They are totally modern, foward looking yet acknowledge the past. You can see where these pictures have descended from, there place in art history and connection to the painters Pete admires. They aspire to be something completely new and are art for the 21st century!


3. They are rich in meaning, content and intellectual integrity


4. They are magnificent and beautiful to look at. Difficult and demanding on the eyes, they make your eyes work hard
   

The pictures above are really inadequate but just so you get the idea. Sorry Pete, I know these don't do them any justice.

I really liked this new block of high-tec flats on Copperfield Road

We finished a really lovely evening with dinner at the Lahore Kebab House near Bethnal Green. The food was superb and some of the best Asian food I've had outside India.

Fish Mongers

I've been feeling very guilty about my excitement over Tescos so I've decided that we must actively support our brilliant fish mongers and popped in for Sea Bass, on the way home.

Just look at their fishy produce!

I'll be devastated if they close. I love the Tesco but surely there's room in this world for the two to live, profitably, side by side?

They are so good, they even scale and fillet the fish for you.

Here's how it ended up. Yummy.

I am very proud of my wife today. She's worked for several months on a presentation that she gave yesterday and her boss loved it. She is a very, very clever thing.

We read some of the Dorling Kindesley baby book, in bed this morning, reading about what's happening during week 12. Apparently Little Blob is no longer an 'embryo' but is now a 'foetus offspring'. I thought Feetus mightbe a good name?

Ranos at Caple Road

Hosted the 1st Ranos evening at my house, told Mark our news and showed him and Stephen the pictures of Little Blob.

I cooked the spaghetti recipe that Matthew (my Brother in Law) gave me on Saturday, which was simplicity it's self and tasted superb! Here's the recipe, wish I'd taken a picture.

200g spaghetti
120g tin of tuna
1 tin of anchovies
1 garlic, chopped

Drain off the oil from the tins of tuna and anchovies into a pan and heat slowly. Add the garlic, continue to heat gently. While that's all happening, make our spag. When done, add and toss in the garlicky oil and Bob's your uncle. Add basil, cherry toms and black olives for a little extra fun.

Passed these cars and graffiti, that I liked, on way in today. I'm sure this isn't a real Banksy but funny, none the less.

Sad to lean that Robert Rauschenberg died on the 12th May so here's one he did earlier.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/obituary/0,,2279700,00.html

St Mary's

Today it all became real! I saw our beautiful little blob for the first time and now I can really start to believe it. It's 48.8 mm long and 11 weeks and 3 days in size. The image on the screen was just astonishing, the little thing was moving around in Ibs tummy and we both waved and called out to our tiny little baby. We heard the heartbeat too!

Ibs looked really gorgeous today in a little red top and skirt, here she is entering the hospital.

Cycled from St Mary's to work and prevented passing Buckingham Place by changing of the guard, a very impressive site on a happy, hot, summer lunchtime.

Passed Channel 4, as usual, on Horseferry Road and great to see the new work which has dressed the iron 4 outside Richard Roger's dynamic building.

3 great songs, from the 80's, in succession on my Ipod on cycle home.

• Forbidden Colours, Sakamoto and Sylvian
• Golden Brown, Stranglers
• Cloudbusting, Kate Bush

Sharnbrook

Glorious weekend of friends, family and sun.

Friday night, popped into the Westminster for Chris's drinks. 2 pints of Star and a lovely chat with Helena about gardens.

Gorgeous cycle through Hyde Park and Portobello to join Alex and crew for his 30th birthday drinks. Curbed our excess so fit for Saturday's BBQ.

Felix has now completely adopted us and I found her sleeping on our sofa at 7.oo.

Early start and got up early to cook. Lovely afternoon with Maxx, Justin, Jonathan, Rita and, Dave and their wonderful children Lauren and Jasmine.

Caught 6.30 train to Sara and Matthew. At there's by 7.30 and met my beautiful, youngest niece, Florence. As tiny, pretty and pookie baby as it's possible to be.

Watched Take That in concert with Matt and really enjoyed it!!

Lazy morning enjoying being with my dear sister, Matthew, my nephews George and Oliver and my brand new niece Florence.

2.45 train home and back by 4.30 to a still scorching back garden. A few hours working on Ibs presentation to the sounds of Annie Mac and Dave Pearce on Radio 1 playback.

1st hospital appointment tomorrow and very nervous.

Whistler

More tense activity in the office with auditors on site until next week.

Relief to go to lunch at the Whistler Restaurant with Eamon Fogerty.

Drinks in Celia's office to mark 20 years of Chris's start at work and drinks at the Westminster afterwards.

I took these pics of flower beds I love in Hyde Park on way home.

Then on to Portobelllo Road, Trailer Park Happiness, for Alex's 30th birthday celebrations.

Tomorrow will be an early start to prepare for the 1st bbq of the year. Expected are; Rita, Dave, Jasmine, Lauren, Jonathan, Maxx and Justin. At 5.30 we then travel to St Pancras and get train to travel to Sara's and meet Florence.

Tesco

A day of delicate office politics.

The sun is still shinning and warm so had another 2 lap run at lunchtime.

Dashed home, caught up with Ibs, cleaned the bbq (ready for Saturday) , mowed the lawn and
then off to visit the long awaited new Tesco store in Harlesden! We were like to kids in a sweet shop. Great store and a huge improvement for the town.

Met Jerry at 8.30 for a cheap eats at Boys (Thai) Cafe at top of Ladbroke Grove

Ranos

A beautiful summer like day in London. The kind of morning made for cycling. A great soundtrack on my Ipod ended beautifully with Stevie Wonder's 'Higher Ground' as I arrived at work.

So nice a day that I jogged 3 laps of my local bridges in 40 minutes and cycled all the way to Stephen's for a Tuesday Ranos night also in 40.

Mark made chicken, wrapped in bacon and mozzarella and as usual, despite my determination not to, drank too much red wine.

Home at about 10.45 and Ibs had cleaned the house from top to bottom. However the persistent stink of the Tom cat spray doesn't seem to shift.

Can't get rid of little Felix who howls throughout the night.

The 2 pics above are a couple of paintings I've passed at work which I quite like.

Dylfryn Ardudwy, Wales

Friday 2nd May and train, after work, to Barmouth North Wales, to stay with our friend Andy and the dog we share with him, Georgi.

Told Andy our news soon after arriving and seemed genuinely happy for us. Last person we're telling until week 13.

Checked my Blackberry all the way there for news of Mayor election result. Agonising wait ended about 11.00 with a news flash saying Boris Johnson had won. Made me feel sick with disappointment.

But awful depression lifted by news at 11.00am that my darling sister Sara had given birth, 3 weeks early to Florence Evelyn Bennett at 5.30am, 6lb 2oz. All the family had been trying to reach us but no signal at the cottage where we were staying.

Terrible frustration that we can't drop everything and see Florrie (I've seen most of 6 nephews and nieces on the day they were born) but can't get up until next Sunday.

Apart from spending some really fun and 'quality' time with Andy and Georgi, our highlights of our trip were:

• Seeing Portmeirion (my 2nd visit). Location for The Prisoner, one of my top 5 favourite TV shows of all time.


• Festiniog railway. Scuse spelling. The train ride was beautiful but the terminus in Festiniog was bleak, oppressive and closed! What a god awfully depressing place. All that slate!


• Seeing the magnificent coastline of the armpit of Wales. Could quite easily see myself retiring there


• Seeing lambs and baby cows, with their Mum's in the fields made more poinient by Florrie's arrival and the expectation of my own little one inside Ibs tummy

My Mum told me today that she and Dad holidayed in Snowdonia when she was heavily pregnant with Sara and I so it makes my connection with North Wales very understandable.

May Day

1st May and a monumental day for London.

But 1st a catch up from yesterday. Rained pretty much all day and had to cycle to Stephen's in Acton for Ranos. Got absolutely soaked but with no running today, good exercise at least. Lovely route through Chelsea, Kensington, Shepherd's Bush and along the A40. Loved passing Battersea powersation and the Buddist Peace Pavilion.

Got to Stephen's about 7.30, dried off and sat down with him and Mark for episodes 4 to 7 of Sopranos. Great episodes, well paced, great sets (Uncle's house so beautifully designed) but the violence is getting harder to watch. Polished off with a huge plate of chops and mash (Christophe was home) and rioja.

Back to May Day. Birthdays for our dear friends Karen (the inspiration for me blogging) and Claire. Ibs and I cycled to a local school to place our vote. Thought we were going to get our votes rejected when Ibs started asking me questions from the ballot booth! Then off to work.

On Thursday mornings I usually have to go to Tufnell Park, which I really enjoy and always gives me great pleasure passing the buildings and houses you can see above. I love that green framed cottage with the monkey puzzle tree outside. The Boston Arms pub is absolutely amazing, stucco'd and with that amazing tower, like a spire or turret. God awful pub inside but glorious building outside.

Euston underground was covered in big ads for Bob Books, the company Ibs manages. Felt very proud to see them.

Home to pack for Snowdonia, where we're heading for the bank holiday weekend with Andy and Georgi. Planning to tell Andy our news so he can make plans for December.

Now have an agonising wait until to night to hear about the London election result. Labour, as expected, suffered terrible losses in the local elections, only a win for Ken can give GB any hope.

We'll be on the train when the results come through so hope my Blackberry will get a signal.