Weekly update

Nasheena's Hen Night

Went to a friend's Hen Night last Saturday. We travelled by minibus and went up to Jongleurs in Sway, Covent Garden. A beautiful bride-to-be and a lovely group of ladies to share a meal, cocktails & dance the night away with.

The official photos of Simon's Good Conduct/Long Service award ceremony arrived. We are so proud that Simon received his medal from, and the family had the opportunity to meet, such an honest, trustworthy Met. Police Commissioner!

O.K. - not an official photo. Cute though!





So unfit

Went swimming after work today. I was out of breath after just 4 lengths. Made myself do 10 lengths in total. That's appalling isn't it? I really need to get fit.

Magic Summer Live

Rumor

Lighthouse Family

Sir Elton John

Had a very wet experience at the Magic FM Summer Live event over the weekend at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. I particularly enjoyed Rumor & The Lighthouse Family. Listening to the Jersey Boys singing 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' (not quite as well as Andy Williams, but not bad), whilst downing 1/2 a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, made me feel quite emotional (the effects of the wine I guess!). The highlight of the day was Sir Elton John, who arrived by helicopter and provided excellent entertainment. Haven't eaten so much junk food in 1 day for years.

Visit to Highgate Cemetery

This may seem a strange place to go on my day off, but this Victorian cemetery is just incredible and well worth a visit. It was a rainy day, which gave the atmosphere a etheral quality. As well as being a beautiful and intriguing site, rich in history, architecture, landscape and romance, Highgate is still an operating cemetery, with up to seventy interments and some thirty to thirty-five plots sold each year.


Grave of Alexander Litvinenko

These are just some of Highgate's famous interments:
Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Jeremy Beadle, TV presenter, writer and producer/Charles Cruft, founder of Crufts dog show/John Dickens and Elizabeth Dickens, parents of Charles and models for Micawber and Mrs Nickleby/George Eliot (Mary Ann Cross), novelist/Michael Faraday, physicist/Alexander Litvinenko, Russian dissident turned critic, murdered by poisoning in London/Malcolm McClaren, performer, impresario, manager of The Sex Pistols, 'godfather of punk'/Ralph Miliband, left wing political theorist, father of David Miliband and Ed Miliband/Sir Ralph Richardson (1902–83), actor/George Wombwell, menagerie exhibitor/

Grave of George Wombwell, menagerie exhibitor

Karl Marx Grave

Patrick Caulfield, painter and printmaker known for his pop art canvasses

I would like ths as my gravestone. It's to the the point (none of this 'fell asleep' nonsense) and I love the simple geometric design.

 

Sleeping Angel (carved from a single piece of marble)

All this has reminded me that I must get around to asking for a grave location search for Duvee, my Fairy Godmother - but that's another story.......

Cricket

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A most enjoyable afternoon playing cricket - Rayleigh Ladies v Queen's NICU.





Jane & Cliff



The winning team (us)



"That way to the bar"

Mug of a mum!

The highlight of my year is over (Wimbledon):( I thought this week might seem dull, but at the moment I have 9 of my daughter's girlfriends in the house. They are meeting here between 10pm & 3am before setting off for holiday to Aiya Napa. I need to get up for work at 6am and really need more than 3hrs beauty sleep. And I do wish she hadn't told me of their plans to go on a booze cruise. There is an old Chinese proverb(!): "What happens in Aiya Nappa stays in Aiya Nappa". I so hope that's true - I don't want to think about what she will get up to.
My son has decided to cook a piece de resistance in the kitchen. He is a typical chef and will leave the kitchen in a right mess. Meanwhile, the dog appears to have developed diabetes and keeps making puddles on the kitchen floor. Apart from this (and more) - life's good!