Fulham Palace Road is not Bond Street so it was an unexpected pleasure to bump into Kate Cambridge yesterday morning. She was driving with a male passenger (bodyguard, I suppose) accompanied by the Special Escort Group, deploying their whistles. We haven’t had such excitement since the Queen Mother’s funeral cortège came along the Talgarth Road.
The picture is of Queen’s being deconstructed – quite a job on a small site with not very good access. I went with Robert to buy a tennis racket – for him, not me. Well, haven’t tennis rackets changed? I remember wooden ones that came with a press. I think the press was to stop the wood warping. Robert’s snazzy new racket is made of some sort of plastic and my super-goofiness came into play. I failed to notice, in spite of swinging it around a bit and knocking over a few things in the shop, that it has no strings. These days that’s an extra and is done by the stringer.
I maligned the NHS a few days ago. I couldn’t book an appointment last week but it was the last Friday of the month and in the late afternoon. On Monday morning there was lots of availability and my rare and extremely interesting new disease is now being treated. The doctor is not quite sure what it is. I picked it up in Malta in February. To put it in a nutshell it is a rash that looks to me like ring worm. Growing up in Ireland in the 1950s I am familiar with ring worm but it seems there are few cases in Hammersmith in the 21st century.
On the money front, FT columnist Lord Lee tipped MP Evans on Saturday. He bought MPE shares at about £1 on my advice, came to an AGM with me, sold them, not on my advice, at about £4.50. He has repurchased at £6.98 and £7.35. The market in general has not yet tanked but it has zero upside potential but MPE is a safe haven.
I am a trustee of only three things. One is impeccably well run and is no cause for concern. The other two have problems. One is the usual – we don’t have enough money. The other has a potential issue with the Inland Revenue and, I suppose, the hapless trustee will be in the firing line. Why is it called the Inland Revenue?
On the charity front, I have written to LAMDA telling them that I’d like to continue to support them at my current rather low level. Their proposal for me to double my contribution just won’t work. I did not tell them that I have become a Friend of the National Churches Trust. It’s a charity that props up crumbling churches around the country. They are on probation as I’m not quite comfy with this part of their remit.
We’ve also helped churches pay for vital improvements such as introducing disabled access and installing new facilities such as toilets and kitchens, enabling them to remain open and welcoming.
What a lot of bilge.
The musical number today has been sent in by a reader.