into the woods

even in one of the hottest summers in london it is still cool in the woods and sammy doesn't seem to mind going for a little walk in the evening, when the scent from the wild herbs is just so fresh and enticing, who could resists... and look who too tried a little bareback...

mbv last night at southbank

huii, one for the ears... asked about it, i think i said it was an experience, but call me old-fashioned, i like the songs, so a tiny little downturn on the volume and we could have actually heard them rather than this slightly overwhelming jet engine in the room... BUT i loved 'slow' and 'only shallow'... btw the guy from dinosaur jr was in the audience...

Set List: New You - New Song 1 - You Never Should - Honey Power - Cigarette in Your Bed - Only Tomorrow - Come in Alone - Only Shallow - What You Want - Thorn - Nothing Much To Lose - Who Sees You - To Here Knows When - Slow - Soon - Wonder 2 - Feed Me With Your Kiss - You Made Me Realise 

goodbye to our dean

sad moment when we heard that our arts&humanities dean, russell, is leaving the post to continue with his research and also pursuing a second strand as a priest in the church of england. BUT his leave party on the roof terrace of bush house made for a beautiful evening high above the city, and as so often at this time of the year, london simply glistened. more pics to follow, but for starters here is a nice one with some of my lovely colleagues... 

and another conference...

A man's best friend

has deac finally bit the bullet and gotten for his darling daughter the puppy she wanted for so many years? or who is the mysterious cutie at his arm?? watch this space!

if you're going...

... to san francisco
be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
if you're going to san francisco
you're gonna meet some gentle people there...

they might be giants...

... but then everything is relative, isn't it. our sweet pam may be the shortest in the group, but not that i look that much taller, given that i even wore heals, as the last time i was out with rike, jack and deac i felt a true midget. but the fun was as big as ever, and that was not only because pam threw around the forks, which jack commented with 'schmetterling', but it helped...

and over to the next one

zen, 1997-2018

... had to say good-bye to the best cat ever last night, truly born and bread in our household, from the first meow 21 years ago, behind deac's bed, to the last little sigh yesterday, this cat was an amazing companion and certainly thought of herself more of a dog that a little puddy tat. she guarded the garden against the foxes and protected the baby, which, to her amazement, started to crawl rather fast at some point, and then grew and grew...

until a few weeks ago she still would play like a kitten, and there wasn't a night that she did not demand to sleep on the bed, preferably under the duvet, only to wake deac with a little swipe with one of her claws in the morning, convinced that it was feeding time, whatever the clock said. rest in peace, little kitten, and, as rike suggested, come back in your next life as an owl. we're ready! 

Car Seat Headrest - Beach Life-In-Death (last bit only) - Live at the Ro...

carseatheadrest @ roundhouse, london

lazy sunday afternoon

spot the lazy bugger while the squirrels and mice are hopping around her. question: is it a plant? is it a sausage? is it chilli the master of disguise? submit your answer here.

György Ligeti - Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano (I)

whitstable and sheppey

our two beach babes, who used the glorious day to swim in the sea for over an hour, then took a well deserved rest, then a little wandering around the coast, and a final stop on the isle of sheppey, for no better reason but that I was curious about a place I had thought of and written about, so watch this space. 27 degrees celsius, whatever that is in fahrenheit.

new haircut

Familienzuwachs!

guess who's been caught fooling around canary wharf recently, looking rather cheerful...well, this friendly young man may not yet be completely aware of what he's getting himself into, so let's see if this smile persists - I'll report...

sounds like brockley

with a big thank you to merten!!!

marlis is 28!

look what a lovely birthday child has been caught on camera here, and after long walks and a beautiful day with her extended family she even had the energy to sing a very nice little song for me over the phone, very moving, and i just wished i could have been there. but then no surprise that she has all this energy because clearly the birthday cake baker got it so wrong, it is 28, my friends, not 82. and also, did some of the cake made it onto the dress or was that just another example of perfect colour matching?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

easter walk at lullingstone castle

 

after a massive easter egg hunt - our large dining table is covered in chocolate - we managed to burn about three calories with a leisurely stroll around pretty lullingstone castle, which was a real discovery. love to go back later in spring to see more of their world garden plants...