Here I go again

It's the start of another hectic week - Tuesday already - and I haven't caught up with myself from last week yet. There was so much about London I never got round to mentioning, not least Whistle Down the Wind at the Palace Theatre, the fantasic, and frankly eye boggling club we went to, and the fabulous shops of Seven Dials.

And then the bank holiday weekend - more shopping, a bit of duty relative visiting, and then a pretty enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday. I headed for Castle Howard, this time not to indulge myself in 'Brideshead' nostalgia, but to see James Martin at the Food and Drink Festival.

Now James was my favourite in the last series of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Somehow the first series had passed me by, and I came late to the second series, but it was enough to get me hooked, and to be there from the start of the third series - and James soon became my favourite - it's the local boy angle once again, as well his sense of humour, and yes, those blue eyes. It was always pretty clear that he wasn't going to win, but he was a trier, and he made it very creditably to the semi final week.

So there I was, early on a bank holiday, sitting watching his cookery demonstration - and he not only managed to rustle up 4 dishes in 45 minutes, but was funny with it, and a little bit rude, which might have shocked some of the grannies who watch him on 'Ready Steady Cook'. And afterwards I bought one of his cookbooks as a present to my new kitchen, which, of course I got signed. As a friend said later 'you spoke to him?' 'well, yes, this is me, after all!!' And, at least, after all the tv exposure, for once there's a chance that people know who I'm talking about.