Dear Char's birthday on Wednesday - dinner Chez Ruth plus the four former Knowsley Road flatmates et L'Harper. Much mirth, much merriment, much munching, much prayer and love shared. Thanks for a great dinner Ruthy.

As fair a bloom as any that flowers in the kitchens of Hammersmith... fab roast chicken and excellent Nigella impression!

Here's the gang, clockwise from top L: Char, Alice 'Bobby' Robertson, Petruta, and Ruthy.

Harper Hall has been requiring painting for a couple of years and I finally screwed my courage to the sticking plate and got around to it. Yes: it is a bit eccentric, but once you're there it's very peaceful and several folk have said as much. Dinner with Maria Bonet was the official unveiling and lighting of the lamps...

Since which time the kitchen and bathroom have had similar treatment (without the crenelations that is). There was also a dinner with Alex Stewart Clark and Charlotte B D and Mattie Dwyer, ostensibly to discuss Passion plays but in the end just to marvel at 6 degrees of separation...

Further to comments last posted on this blog about azure sky syndrome, I've been sky gazing again, and can't believe what a fool I've been to not be doing this as much before. There have just been some amazing skyscapes of late over Battersea. Haven't particularly photoed any of them but caught a whisker of something once or twice...

Clapham High Street this morning at 7am

View from the bus going over  Chelsea Bridge: often wonderful at sunset.

Last Saturday, Aaron Harry, Michael Cayton and I spent 5 hours plus in the studio at Basstone music laying down two piano parts for the forthcoming Harmer album. Well done guys, and Michael in particular: that keyboard part is really tricky and you did fantastically! Yesterday, the Rebel Chorus was rehearsing Ben Till's London Requiem in preparation for our concert on Saturday at Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington. There are a few standing tickets left if anyone's free: it's also being streamed live at 7pm and will be up on the net for the forseeable. www.thespace.org

You can buy copies of the recording via www.benjamintill.com

An excellent present for the avid collector of contemporary music... may I 'umbly suggest 2 copies...


Grazie mille!

My Godmother Helen sent me this beautiful Icon in August, seen here on the kitchen table at Harper Hall. A thing of beauty which has certainly been a joy for at least 120 years or more. Having spent yesterday painting my sitting room ceiling azure blue, I've been awakened to the colour - it's a bit like that red Volvo syndrome; you never notice them until you have one (I don't by the way) - but once you do you can't stop seeing them everywhere you go.

So I now have azure blue syndrome and can't stop staring at the sky...

Spent part of Saturday in the studio preparing work for recording next weekend - it seems that Mike has been booked to come and play keys and Aaron seems keen and happy so it looks like we're finally getting a bit closer to actually recording... HURRAH!

Dinner yesterday was with Alex Stewart Clark, plus James the lead actor from the Wintershall and Trafalgar Square Passion plays and a lady from the Passion Trust called Suzanne. It was really weird being at dinner with this Jesus lookalike - he's made a career of playing Our Lord and an amount of the character of God seems to have rubbed off onto James. I was struck by the normalcy of the man - despite the beard and long hair, which one might associate with hippy drugcentricity thanks to the 60's and Jim Morrison etc.

Our man fell asleep, having been up since 0530, but I enjoyed the company and the atmosphere of the Thames view from Alex's flat. Very interesting stuff too, discussing Passion Play practicalities and Conferences. Watch this space, as they say.

I've kind of got out of the Blogging zone and am scratching my head as to what to say for a change. Bumped into Mrs Mary-Maye Lorriman at Mass yesterday and we went for a lovely breakfast at the Black Dog cafe,  home to the best coffee this side of Clapham Common (or so I'm told).

Another guest tonight: hopefully Mariaaaaa of the great photo taking is popping over for something healthy to eat - I have a butternut squash lurking in the fridge which should provide a solution. Looking forward to seeing her and to her seeing the flat - Bernadette and Irene both commented on the peaceful atmosphere the other day.

If anyone is after some greeting cards, hand-made, range of messages including scriptural, Harper Hall is now a designated outlet for Diamond Designs, Irene's card business. May well put up some pictures soon, permission willing.

GRAZIE!

Where did all the Summer go, long time passing? Part of it was spent on the beach in Margate, though a paltry hour and a half albeit wonderful, with Kate Pryor and her sweet daughter Edie, Mum's God-daughter. The Weather was fairly wild, and went from quick dip in the sea to brooding apocalyptic clouds...

The weather in Margate was unusually interesting, even by Margate standards ("Best skies in Europe" said Turner).

Funnily enough, the sky above hardly broke, and there was a little but not torrential rain.

This double rainbow the same day was a great treat!

This sunset... well... I'll let it speak for itself, and its creator!

Back in London, the gas at Harper Hall has finally been turned back on after a bit of pleading and exasperation... so the dinner party season is underway once again. JP came to stay, and here he is in the Autumn sunshine of some of these fine September days we had last week.

Lauren, Shannon, Pia, Felicity, Joey Dreycott and Jp and I shared a very pleasant dinner on Friday - together with rather a lot of vigorous debate around the faith issue. Bed was at 1am.

Chris Pryse Hawkins came over and very kindly gave me plus Bluebell a lift to her first, properly paid gig on Saturday just gone. We just about got away with it, Terry's gallery background music, with Chris on guitar and Ben Moore on drums, assisted at one point by young Leo (pictured the next day at St Ann's.) Leo's really not bad considering his age, 4.

L-R: Lauren, Pia, Shannon, Jp, Felicity, Joey

Mattie Dwyer had popped in for another session on Our Common Passion on Saturday, and to my shame, I took her up on her offer of washing up after I'd heated Friday night's leftovers for lunch.

Wrinkly hands for ever dear Mattie, and many, many thanks: I was a bit washed up and washed out having tidied after 7 the previous eve, but it was ungentlemanly of me, forgive!

Managed to give another dinner on Sunday night at last minute notice, and a few guests materialised namely Bess Twiston Davies and Nick (see photo above) and Charlotte Bromley Davenport (see photo below)

Think I was missing Jp and the company, but also wanting to use the flat now it's looking so much better and is tidy, clean and organised.

For which, dear Fuschia - who seriously helped achieve new levels of Heaven's First Principle: Order... and to all my lovely friends for your company and joy...

Molto Grazie!!