Wim Wenders

This is such a brilliant, brilliant, photograph; a scene that you'd think only possible in a cinephile's, like me's, wildest dreams.
It's from today's Guardian 'My Best Shot' feature and is a photograph, taken by Wim Wenders, (that's his foot) in a pond, on Francis Ford Coppola's Nappa Valley estate and shows Coppola, cooling off in the pond with his wife, Eleanor.
On the rock is Coppola's (future film director) daughter Sophia and, Godlike-(giant of world cinema)-genius, Akira Kurosawa, who was working with Coppola and George Lucas on 'Kagemusha'.
Wenders was working with Coppola, at the time, on his disastrous, lost-gem of a movie, 'Hammett'. He sums up the picture beautifully in the article, by saying;

"It was as if we were all aware of this instant of bliss: the sun shining through the trees; the sound of the crickets; the utter peacefulness of a moment that united several generations of film-makers. Life is good - and every now and then a photograph can do it justice."

Ladbroke Grove Water Tower

I can never pass the water tower at the top of Ladbroke Grove (just by Sainsbury's) without thinking about the genius of Bernd and Hilla Becher. Here's my little tribute to the Bechers.

Portobello

Ruby and I left Ibolya at home, on Sunday morning, while we took off, with Ruby in the papoose, for a stroll around Ladbroke Grove and Portobello Road. Here are a few things that caught our eye.

The Day we Made Ruby

Today's the day Ibolya and I officially recognise (well, we're pretty certain anyway) as the day we made Ruby.

It all happened after we got home from Stephen's warm up party for his 40th birthday 'Allo Allo' party, March 8th 2008. It was a very good party.

To mark this special day here's a picture, I really like and feels appropriate, of the first egg to be laid by the Bennett family's chickens, on Sunday.

Afternoon Tea

To celebrate Ibolya's birthday, we had friends over, on Saturday afternoon, for tea and scones. My sisters, Jane and Sara, and Karen brought along some, absolutely delicious, home-made scones, which were extremely grateful for. Thank you girls.

It was a really lovely afternoon and particularly fantastic to see Matt and Caroline, over for the weekend from New York. We love the brilliant Barak Obama, children's books, they brough for Ruby.

Pete, Stephen, Karen, Caroline and Matt

Jonathan, Rita and David

Samia, Jane, Beatrice, Sara, Florence and Jerry

Claire, Lorena and Anletta

Claire, Lorena and Vittoriano

Birthday!

It's my darling wife's birthday today. Happy Birthday Ibolya!
Here she is, looking super cool, in front of the Che memorial, in Revolution Square, Havana, Cuba, last year.

Four

I cycle past Richard Roger's brilliant Channel Four HQ, on Horseferry Road, everyday. There's a giant iron 4 outside which twice a year gets dressed by an artist, to represent particular qualities of the channel. I really like the lastest, which I saw for the first time yesterday, where the artist has covered the 4 in lost umbrellas.

And this is what it looked like on the way home.

Papoose

It's been a very long held ambition of mine to acquire the ultimate man-about-town accessory and on a day off work, on a very spring-like Monday, I got to finally fulfil that ambition by taking my beautiful little daughter, out for a stroll around Harlesden and Kensal Rise, in the papoose we had handed down from my sister. I absolutely loved it, felt very smug and Ruby had a good nap too.

Spring

Spring seemed to arrive in our garden, from nowhere, on Monday.
The daffodils are out and tulips aren't far behind.
Buds are appearing on the apple tree

and even the rubarb, that the slugs devoured last year, has made a welcome return

Ruby Meets Kay!

I've known Kay since we met at HMV Oxford Circus in the Summer of 1987. She became our flat mate at Chasefield Road, Tooting and we've been friends ever since. So it was wonderful to see her on Sunday and a very proud moment for me to introduce her to Ruby.
We also had Stephen, Christophe and Mark over for Sunday lunch, who all helped us to demolish our garden shed.