You make me feel so young...

Belated happy birthday to my father-in-law-to-be, Mr. Eddie Agar... who celebrated his birthday in style with Big Band flair last Saturday night - performing as part of the Roy Bailey Band. We had a fantastic time and had a great view from the 5th row -- my only complaint was the lack of dance floor!

See some of the action here:

doin' our own thing...

Well, looks like Ashley & I continue to buck the trends... Marriage rates in the UK fall to the lowest levels since 1896 -- but who are we to follow the crowds?! Someone's got to keep those florists and venues in business...

Ooh – lookie – I’ve added a new Resolution Watch widget to the sidebar – a visual reminder of how well I’m doing against my 3 Rs -- reading, recipes, and running. Oh - and 1C - culture.

I’ve added another ‘been-meaning-to-read-for-ages’ book to the list – The Kite Runner – and yes, Dad, I agree it was magnificent. A distinctive voice painting such a clear picture – I couldn’t put it down.

I have fallen at one hurdle, however – the vow not to buy any more books until I read the ones I already own… because after The Kite Runner came What Came Before He Shot Her – the latest by Elizabeth George. Another unputdownable read – though of course in a different way. I’ve read all of her Inspector Lynley books, and this was a bit of a departure for her – rather than being a fairly classic modern English detective novel, this looked at the societal factors in play that lead to a 12 year-old boy being arrested for murder.

Now – onto the next – chosen from my shelves this time, no more return to Amazon! User vote:
--(fiction) The Time Travellers Wife
--(nonfiction) The Man Who Ate Everything (food writer essays from Vogue)

Vote early, and vote often!

global audience?

As some of you may have noticed, I've added this little map widget thing to the lower right of the site -- supposedly showing where my hordes of visitors are coming from. Not surprisingly, the mass is from the US Northwest (hi Mom & Dad, Sis...). London appears to be there too - again, no surprise.

But -- what's that? Lurkers in China and Russia (too small to see exactly where, but perhaps Moscow? Shanghai??) Huh? So - if you *are* visiting from a farflung land (well - farflung relative to London or my family) -- please, say hi! The more the merrier...

Another Schindler?

Read this really interesting article in Sunday's Financial Times Magazine - about Ernst Leitz, head of the Leica factory in Germany in the 30s, who may have helped dozens of Jews by giving them apprenticeships at the factory, and then jobs in New York -- sending them and their families to the US... official records put the number at 42, though anecdotally some speak of many many more. In any case, it shows that however many stories you read, there are always new ones worth discovering...

Horrible wedding day...

I am *so* not letting anyone give me curls for the wedding...

Happy Groundhog Day

And check back at 12:30 GMT to see if Phil says winter or spring... C'mon Spring!

Update: Spring it is! Thanks Phil... (wait a minute - does the early spring prediction only apply to those in Punxatawney? Hmm... maybe I need me my own groundhog...)