Aviary, Charlie and I ended up at the Zetland Arms in South Kensington last night after an 'interesting' evening at St Paul's Onslow Square watching something produced by the Neocatechumical Community. Apologies Elaine for sleeping almost throughout the video - (which was the wrong side of stimulating) - to be fair, it was very much produced for the Community, and to those of us who are not - and now have no intention of ever being in any way- involved with this movement, we were not the target audience. The music was quite film score-ish (which appealed) but it would have been better appreciated if there had been a movie to watch (or fall asleep to - I was zonked).

Anyhow, grumblems aside it was nice to see Elaine and Ed, and the three of us mentioned above had a fun drink at the pub. Aviary lifted us home after and she and Charlesters seemed to appreciate the flat furniture rearrangement that had occupied that morning, ably assisted by Ant of the hairy chin.

Tinkering with the flat brings me disproportionate amounts of satisfaction - Rolling Stones take note. Barnaby had popped over at lunchtime and he'd sat in the comfy chair (not a euphemism) while I tidied and we chatted.

Fuschia Peters had come over for dinner on Tuesday after Aviary had relented of her decision not to join us plus Charlie for dinner; so from text received to dinner served plus guests gathered was a 3 hour turnaround. Lentils (again! I'm addicted... and they're cheap and filling) plus fish and sweet potato (I'm addicted... and they're nicer than King Edwards').

Fusch pushed off far too early at 1230am: we had such a lovely chat about old times: 'Nigel' and Victor, Johnny and Luke, Elsa and Rodge etc etc. I asked her about what  she remembered of our conversations back in the 1980's and then told her about a lunch that Luke and I had had once in 1991 in Flaine, France, where we'd had such an intense and interesting conversation that at the end, neither of us could remember a single word of what had been said. Bizarre! It does happen, and I've found it to be the case when sharing something close to one's heart. One focuses so intently that somehow you get a sort of conversation snow blindness and end up dazzled. Once or twice, and more frequently of late, I've had this experience when sharing the Catholic faith.

(Fusch - see photo above - had confused Avers by referring to her chum Stephanie as her girlfriend which was amusing!)

I keep a little list/ book I write in every so often of things called 'Likes'. All sorts of stuff is in there and it rather charts an aspect of my life from about 1988 onwards. I was able to point Fusch towards an  entry from 1990 or so in my teenage handwriting just saying 'Fuschia and her family'. She'd never seen it before and I think she was a bit moved. Nice to see tattoos from the past as you might say... eh Fusch?!

Disaster has ron amoke with my first attempt at eBay shopping and I am now the proud owner of something rather heavy and waiting to be paid for and collected from Oundle, Northamptonshire. Groan. The item I did want from the same vendor sold for £1.20 and I was outbid - harumph! Bit of a learning curve... also paypal is being funny. And with my account... who'd have thought it!


Just had lunch with Olivia Harris (nee Andrew). Nice to see her. We bumped into each other in February, when I was bringing Bluebell home from the Early Music Shop for the first time.

Bluebell has her next outing (I've stopped counting) this Saturday at Tarragon Restaurant here on Lavender Hill.730pm onwards. Guests very welcome to come and join the party - particularly if we've already met - otherwise, I'm sure Kami and Simin will be glad of the business anyway, and I'll appreciate the audience for the background harpist. This is not an open mic event and in a slightly different vein to the Literary Lunches. I'm expecting a few guests already...

For which....

Molto Grazie!

I'm enjoying the bold button today...