My Shout

The Metro ran this advertorial on Tuesday about one of the studios in Barons Court that features here. A feature that goes unmentioned in the Metro is the outstanding views of a building site that it may enjoy until the middle of the next decade, when its light will be blocked by a new development.

Ninette

A friend went to an exhibition of photographs taken by Joan Leigh Fermor at the Benaki Museum in Athens. It looks like a little gem and I hope it may follow in the footsteps of Charmed Lives in Greece to the British Museum.

Royal Mausolea

There are a few things that can only be done at restricted times. One is visiting the Mansion House. I had hoped to advise you to turn up on any Tuesday afternoon for an hour long tour but these jaunts have now been cancelled until further notice.

Monkey Business

When in Rome … but when in the Hotel de Rome in Berlin do as the Germans do; Monkey 47, Thomas Henry and a sprig of rosemary as garnish.

The Loriners’ Company’s Annual Banquet

On Friday evening I was invited to dine at the Mansion House as a guest of the Master of the Worshipful Company of Loriners. I had previously only been to one livery company dinner (farriers) and had never dined at the Mansion House before so it was a big night out for me.

A Fairy Tale of Russia

When we were both about seventeen I went on a short trip with my cousin, who is almost exactly my age. She drove us to visit our grandmother in Bournemouth and then to stay with her uncle and aunt near Salisbury.

Published
Categorised as Literature

Goodbye to Dresden

Rigoletto at the Semperoper in Dresden on Sunday evening was a revival of a production first seen in 2006. It has had quite a few outings since then of which the best was surely when Dian Damrau sang Gilda and Juan Diego Flórez the Duke.

Vietnam Again

On Tuesday I sold the rest of my holding in Shell and, sticking to the plan, reinvested in Vietnam. Previously I bought VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunities Fund (VOF) despite its high charges: 1.5% plus a performance fee.

Published
Categorised as Business

Mastaba

The Serpentine Gallery pavilion is still under construction but this summer it will be dwarfed by a giant, red, floating mastaba across the road on the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Published
Categorised as Art, Nature

Green Rooms

The re-building of Dresden is almost complete but, as in any city, there is a continuum of regeneration. A bridge over the Elbe is closed to traffic for reconstruction and some bomb sites have not been rebuilt.