Saturday

Georgie came to stay this weekend and was as adorable as ever. No matter how many times Ruby pulled, tugged and attempted to climb on her, Georgie happily and patiently tolerated it all, while Ruby was beside her self with excitement at Georgie's every move.
Ruby spent the best part of the weekend practising her standing and walking skills and she's really mastered the ability to pull herself up into a standing position, balance with one hand supporting her weight and then letting go, momentarily teetering on her legs, before bumping to the floor on her bottom.
After we got back from a morning walk in Roundwood Park, Jane, Hugo and Beatrice popped in for a cup of tea. We shopped, cleaned and cooked in the afternoon to prepare for dinner with Lorena and Vittoriano; slow roasted lamb, with vegetable mash and greens.

Guys and Dolls

Last night we went to this month's Flicker Club screening at the Lexi of Joseph L. Mankiewicz' glorious film of Damon Runyon's short story 'Guys and Dolls'.
Before the film started, all 12 pages of the short story were read by the actor Mark Strong and it was fantastic to hear the original, very funny and beautifully written story, read so well.
Seeing a film on the big screen for the first time is always like seeing a painting you've only ever known in reproduction, up-close, on a gallery wall. And this immaculately photographed film, in the richest, saturated, Technicolor, demands nothing less than a whopping big screen to really appreciate every nuance of Brando's sly, sexy, performance, the highly stylised (soundstage) sets and the precision of the choreography and musical arrangements. I couldn't stop smiling from the moment it started until the end of the final credits.
I can't make the next screening, which I'd really love to see as it's 'It's a Wonderful Life'.

Ed Ruscha

I really like Ed Ruscha but was a little disappointed by the current exhibition at the Hayward gallery .
It's great to see a major career survey by a living painter, hasn't been one there for ages. But as it's a celebration of 50 years of his painting, it excludes some of the most interesting and vital aspects of his practise, his photography. I love his stark, haunting ariel images of deserted car parks and gasoline stations, would have been great to see those and his artist books too.
However, the paintings are good, witty and, at their best, unsettling. I particularly enjoyed seeing again his 1966 work 'Oof'. It was the first painting I saw of his in the flesh on my very first visit to MOMA and New York. I took a photo of my friend Derek, infront of it, standing sideways, in the shape of a P.

Barley Croft

Ibolya, Ruby and I have just had an utterly blissful weekend with my sister Sara's family, in the comforting, country surroundings of their home at Barley Croft, Sharnbrook.
The weather was a bit too unpredictable for a long country walk but it was a massive pleasure, as ever, to hang-out with the Bennett family, spoilt by their generous hospitably, fine food and wonderful company. And it was a double treat to see our Mum and Dad, briefly over lunch, on their way back to Nottingham.
The terrific photos of the knights on horseback were taken by my nephews Oliver and George.

Paradise Comedy

I was back at The Paradise again last night, with Stephen, for Mark's inaugural Wednesday Comedy Night. The acts were MC James Acasterere, Pat Burtscher, George ('Don't Get Marmite in the Butter Dish') Ryegold - who was very funny - and Doc Brown - who was the funniest and most likable of the night. It was pretty terrifying for Stephen and I as we were sat so close to the stage and we had to leave before the Rob Rouse, who was headlining, as it was getting late.
It's a fantastic venue and Stephen and I had a delicious meal in the restaurant before the show.

Happy Birthday Granny, Grandpa and Uncle Matthew

November 18th is a big birthday day in our family with Granny Read, Grandpa Nemeth and Uncle Matthew Hargreaves all celebrating the day of their births. Happy Birthday to them all.
Here's a picture Ruby made the other day.

Weekend

A well and teething-free Ruby made this a wonderful weekend and a huge improvement to last. It was so good to have my happy and giggling little girl back.
Friday night started the weekend well with a night out in Soho with Alex, Adam and Jerry.
We had a cheap but disappointing (Top Table) meal at Quo Vardis and wished we'd eaten at a little bistro in Berwick street, where we resided for the rest of the evening.
The awful weather on Saturday made staying in guilt-free and a huge, comforting pleasure.
One of those days that just makes you love everything about being at home and being together. It also gave me time to prepare dinner for Dan and Kate, who were coming over that night and to continue my pursuit of the perfect roast pork, something of a mission of mine since Rupert gave me, and still remains, the best roast pork I've ever had.
So I followed the Jamie Oliver recipe he used; pork belly, with crushed fennel seeds and salt rubbed into the scores, cooked over a bed of wine braised fennel bulbs. Served with salsa verde, roast potatoes, carrots and the fennel. It was definitely the best pork I've ever made but still, not quite up to Rupert's standard.
On Sunday, we had a big, really enjoyable Sunday lunch at The Paradise and had more, quality family time at home.

Spitalfields

One of the many things I love about my job and where I live are my Thursday cycle rides between Harleseden, Tufnell Park and Millbank. But today a lunchtime meeting took me on an even grander circuit from Tufnell Park to Spitalfields, back to Millbank and then on to Acton for this evening's DVD evening at Stephen's. That's as a bigger cycle circuit of London as I think I've ever done.
I had a quick look round Spitalfields market while I was there. the Thursday market is a lot like Portobello used to be, with lots of nostalgic bric-a-brac.

Sesame Street

Sesame Street celebrated it's 40th birthday last week. Growing up in the 70's I was aware that there was this really cool and funny children's programme going on in America, (our Canadian cousins would tell us all about it when they stayed) but wasn't shown on British telly, at least in the ATV region.
They showed it eventually, for a while, but I always felt we missed out on Sesame Street while we were growing up.
And this a good example of what my contemporaries in the States were consuming in the mornings, while we were all watching Bagpuss and Blue Peter, they were head banging (like the child in the video) to a phenomenal, funked up, Stevie Wonder on blistering form, with an extended blow out of Superstition.