Coo!

Asphodel Meadows sounds like a character in Gone with the Wind. ‘I do declare, Miss Asphodel,  – you’re pretty as a peach in that gown.’

Secret London

Battered fish, mushy peas, chips and tartar sauce followed by rice pudding with jam for lunch yesterday. Beer is available every day but wine is usually only served on Sundays. They very decently broke this rule for me so I had a couple of glasses of white Bergerac.

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Categorised as Charities

Venetian Sunset

Taking a water taxi to or from the airport in or at Venice is an expensive luxury. In the old days the water bus went direct from Marco Polo to San Marco, threading through the canal at Arsenale. Then it re-routed to go via the Lido which takes over an hour.

Art & Architecture

At least my ninth visit to Venice but my first in January. Among the advantages at this time of year are clear skies and a low sun, creating a coruscating light show on the canals, and the absence of crowds.

The Queen of Spades

The Queen of Spades at Covent Garden has a lot of super music and is an interesting production by Norwegian director Stefan Herheim. The road to operatic hell is paved with ‘interesting’ productions.

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Categorised as Music, Travel

A Grandmother’s Album

My paternal grandfather’s mother died in childbirth in 1893 leaving my great-grandfather with four young children to bring up. He married again in 1895 and had three more children.

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Categorised as Family

Premium Bonds

When I was a nipper my uncle gave me a £5 Premium Bond. As I recall, his thinking was that if the Good Lord wanted to be bountiful it would be a shame if he could only arrange it by having my mother, or similar, ironed out in an accident so I could scoop the… Continue reading Premium Bonds

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Categorised as Business

Darth Vader Kettle

When’s a kettle not a kettle? When it’s Darth Vader. I just couldn’t bear having a toaster or a kettle in view in the kitchen – they both looked so ugly. So first I found an achingly cool, black and chrome Dualit toaster and now I have a to-die-for Alessi kettle.

Side by Side

Side by Side … by Nicolson and Rose. Kenneth Rose’s journals are, I hope, a bright new star in the literary firmament. Let’s see how they match up to Harold Nicolson’s diaries.