" Home SWEET Home!! "

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY

"Home Sweet Home" - Well, here I am after a week at being at home - where I
have been able to return to my regime of "Counting Calories" and practicing
the 5/2 Diet - I am happy to report a Weight Loss of 3lbs. That brings me
to 5lbs short of 3 Stone (or 42lbs) loss since I started on the 8th of January!
So bring on the jammy doughnuts - it's time to party!!

Hope everyone had great Easter - I, myself was "Home Alone" in Brentford with all

my children and Cindy off in the four corners of the Globe. But that didn't stop me

receiving tantalising photos of friends and family's Easters abroad!

This was Easter in North Ridgeley, Los Angeles. Sent by my friend, Screenwriter

and Director Christopher Monger..

This was Easter Brunch in Kansas City with Cindy and her friends

Mitch and Joann Brian.

This was Easter in Littlehampton, UK with Emily and her Family.

Imagine being a kid and waking up to Easter with this on your table...

Bravo Emily - absolutely magical!!

Easter in Brentford, UK

 Here is my Easter Egg I bought myself (Yes, all my kids will recognise it,  

it's a tiny "Cadbury's Cream Egg") I hid it on Saturday afternoon for my Easter Egg 

Hunt on Easter Sunday morning...........unfortunately, at 63 years old, 

I'm still looking for it!

GOOD FRIDAY

(Marks & Spencer/Hammersmith Branch)

On Good Friday I found myself parked outside of Marks & Spencer in Hammersmith. I also found 

myself in a dilemma - do I need to put money in the meter? It was a Bank Holiday and I didn't want

to pay for parking if I there was no need. I decided to ask the driver who was sitting

 in the car in front of me. As he lowered his window I asked him my parking question.

He replied: "Ian McNeice?...Stephen Poliakoff!"

Stephen Poliakoff

Stephen is the prolific writer/director of such TV Films  as "The Lost Prince",

"Shooting the Past",  "Gideon's Daughter",  "Glorious 39",  "Friends & Crocodiles"

and most recently the masterpiece "Dancing on the Edge"

This had a wonderful cast that included Chiwetel Ejifor, Matthew Goode, John Goodman,

and a delightful Cameo performance by:

Jacqueline Bisset

"DANCING ON THE EDGE"

I had met Stephen years ago at the house of Charles and Phoebe Sturridge. I congratulated

him on his production and said what a coup it had been to cast Jacqueline Bisset. We both

remembered the rather awkward acceptance speech she had given at the Golden Globes 

after winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role for a Mini Series. For those of you that didn't

catch it - I've included it below - Stephen said she became notorious afterwards,  as a

darling of the US Chat Shows trying to explain the content of her speech!

YOU TUBE

(Acceptance Speech)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZceewp02cE

PARKING METER

Oh, and for those of you who may be interested:  NO I DIDN'T have to put money in
the parking meter - it was a Bank Holiday!!

EASTER SUNDAY

On Easter Sunday I had another little walk-about around Brentford. It was raining 

unfortunately. They had recently dug up the little square where the Sunday Market had been.

Apparently we are going to get a whole new square with fountains, new trees and a

bigger Sunday Market. Lets hope that's true - it would be nice. Until then,  the depleted, 

sad, Sunday Market had been relegated to a side street.

Rainy Sunday Market.

It took all my will power not to have a big Bap/Roll with Slow 

Roasted Pulled Pork!!

Had to make do with some Dover Sole instead!!

Oh yes, and the obligatory Flat White Coffee!!

DAVID HINCHLIFFE

(The Australian Artist)

David has been painting in his Studio in New York getting ready for the New York

Art Fair - the outcome of which is extraordinary. According to the organisers his

sales far exceeded any other artist! He literally sold out of all his paintings - 25, 

plus 2 commissions and probably another in the pipeline. In his own words

(describing the gallery where a red sticker was applied each time a painting of his was sold)

"There were so many red dots it looked like we had measles." 

He has just celebrated his 59th Birthday. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID and CONGRATULATIONS!

KANSAS CITY

My friend Mitch Brian is a gifted Music Video Director and his latest creation is no

exception. The Band is called THE LATE NIGHT CALLERS and you can see them

in Kansas City where they play at "Knuckleheads".

The place where the Video was filmed is called THE GREEN LADY (A Jazz Bar)

at 17th & Grand in Kansas City - a beautiful place.

Here is the Link to play the Video - do take a look - it's wonderful!

http://vimeo.com/92299759

TOMMY COOPER

This Easter Monday on ITV there was a rare treat. An actor that I worked with in the late

70's at the Royal Shakespeare Company and then more recently in the award 

winning HBO show "Conspiracy" - gave an outstanding performance in a Biopic

about Tommy Cooper. David Threlfall (Frank Gallagher in "Shameless") gave a

faultless performance - he is bound to be nominated for a BAFTA. Well done David!

David as Tommy Cooper - warts and all.

CHRISTOPHER MONGER

My friend Christopher Monger, pictured here with his wife Karen lives and

works in Los Angeles. He is a patriotic Welshman and we have known each

other since we were 16 years old when we were at school together at Taunton in Somerset. 

He is a gifted artist in more ways than one.  A painter, screenwriter, film director, author, poet 

and now he has a new string to his bow - a Stand-up Comedian. He has been

going on a regular basis to perform at "Open-Mike" evenings at Comedy Clubs

in LA. This takes guts and judging by the little You Tube clips he

has sent me - he's been receiving good reactions. His latest outing is a reading

of childhood memories in Wales. And in his own words: 

"If you have 10 minutes to spare......."

(This is the Link to his reading)

                         http://youtu.be/9rxhdGD3TEA

Oh, and spare them - you won't be disappointed!



And finally:
HUTCHINSON, KANSAS 

A lovely photo to end on:

In the words of Cindy:

"Spring in the Backyard"

Part Two: LETTER FROM OZ....

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY

Well, I've just weighed myself and I must say I'm pleased. I am exactly the same 

weight I was when I left for Australia. I consider this a result as I know what I have

had to encounter on my trip. Endless plane food, endless hotels & restaurants. Not 

being able to Count Calories - like my rigid scheme I have at home - has been a challenge

in itself. Now I know I am going to receive a certain amount of abuse from the 

"TOUGH-LOVERS" amongst you for not losing weight during this period. But to those

of you, who feel that way, I say: "BRING IT ON!"  I feel at peace with myself.

I am glad to be home - counting calories again - I had a delicious Hairy Bikers Light

Cottage pie last night (380 Calories) so yummy and feel so better for it!

PART TWO FROM OZ

This time it's Adelaide

So the second part of my Australian Adventure took me to the wonderful

Town of Adelaide where another Sci Fi Convention took place over the

weekend. Not before I encountered more Doc Martin Fans - this time on

my troll around China Town:

I had some time to kill before the weekend so I took a trip to a small town about an hour

outside of Adelaide called PORT WILLUNGA. Unbelievably in a local Coffee shop more

Doc Martin Fans screeched out the words "Look it's Bert!":

It was this ladie's' 50th Birthday:

Then it was on to a restaurant overlooking the sea at Port Willunga

called THE STAR OF GREECE:

This was a beautiful Restaurant:

With fantastic views of the Bay:

On the way back I stopped at a Winery:

THE WILLUNGA CREEK: BLACK DUCK

:

But, unfortunately it was closed! 

Something very interesting I learnt about a Winery

At the end of each row of vines they plant a rose bush!

White roses for white wine & yes, you've guessed it,

Red roses for red wine - Clever them Ozzies!!

This tickled my fancy I must say - the village you pass through

on your way from PORT ISAAC to TINTAGEL in Cornwall, UK

is called DELABOLE - it's a small world!

And so on to the Sci-Fi Convention in Adelaide - this,  as always, had its

fair share of seriously wacky characters:

This gives you an idea of the scale of one of these Conventions - and this was only one

Hall of a few.

Finally it was time to bid a fond farewell to Australia & head for home.

But not before I sampled the delights of a RIVER CRUISE

My sailing partner was one BARRY GREENBERG - the Booker

responsible for hiring me on the trip. Barry now lives in 

Portland, Oregon having spent most of his working life in the

Entertainment Business in Los Angeles. His fourth wife was

recently celebrating the birth of triplets. A brave man,

Barry, I wish him luck with his new family!

So well looked after on my EMIRATES Flight from Adelaide:

This time I managed to break the journey in Dubai and stay one night in utter luxury

in a hotel called: THE ADDRESS DOWNTOWN:

That building behind me went up forever - it had the ominous title of

THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD

Here is the same building at night. In the evening there is a fantastic Water Display of Fountains that goes off on the hour synced to various pop songs - crowds gather to watch nearby.

That evening I was joined by the charming & tall (!!) Verity,  for dinner at the

hotel. Verity works for a Charity in Dubai and is the girlfriend of my actor friend,

Rupert Young. (Sir Leon in ITV's hit show MERLIN)

Look what I found at the end of the Emirates Plane in Business Class:

Their very own BAR! Now that's the way to travel - wouldn't you say??

Having arrived in the UK I was soon off on my travels again - Last weekend I went to Ireland 

for a Comic Convention of their very own. And yes - bumped into my fair share of 

wacky fans again:

Captain JACK SPARROW.

The DOCTOR WHO TARDIS GIRLS

STAR WARS STORM TROOPER

I sat next to WARWICK DAVIS - the actor of STAR WARS and WILLOW fame.

Yesterday I went on my Brentford Walk-About again. This time I pottered along

to the LOCAL LIBRARY where I became a member. I sifted through a few Brentford

History Books looking for information about Brentford Docks and Canals in

particular.

Finally I wish to share with you all a rather lovely experience. The Mother of my

Children, KATE and my daughter MAISIE have been visiting my son ANGUS in

Santiago, Chile where he is the Deputy Editor with the English Speaking Newspaper,

The Santiago Times. A lucky few have been receiving delightful emails from 

Kate with glorious descriptions of her travels:

VALPARAISO

"I am writing this on a bus from Valparaiso to Santiago after spending two heavenly days in the MOST colorful city I have ever been in.

Valparaiso exceeded my already high expectations. The city is poised on a series of hills wrapped around a deep bay. It’s a working city full of life and energy; its port has been active since the 1500’s and today it is heaving with orange containers and peacock blue cranes that swing their heavy loads on and off the docks.

Poised on the hills shanties and elegant mansions with spreading verandahs jostle together in a cacophony of colour. Hot pinks, lemon yellow, faded purple and lilac, orange, burnt ochre and aquamarine tessellated against a cobalt blue sky-and add to that street art on every wall and crevice- Banksy eat your heart out. Valparaiso is rich in graffiti and  liberation. "

"A young couple smoking dope sat on the steps outside a house resplendent with window boxes-cats and dogs meandered the alleyways that thread down to the ocean.

Old funiculars (built in the late 1800s ) run up the sides of the hills like ants. Whizzing up and down at alarming gradients some almost vertical (I who never go on roller coasters had a slight moment-but the wonder of the ride outweighed my fear).

Our B and B was a beautiful old house high on top of a hill and our pretty bedroom was in a turret overlooking the bay."

"Sweeping windows opened out onto the roof and we sat with our legs dangling and breathing in the beauty. Well -I breathed in the beauty my children inhaled Pall Mall!

We explored markets and tiny cobbled streets and ate the most divine Peruvian food before we took a funicular up into the hills to watch the sunset over the Pacific.

Everything was easy and all the people we encountered were chilled and happy.

Gussies beamed as Maisie and I darted into little shops or art galleries and ooh and ahh. Maisie found a tiny café called the colour café and it was like entering a tiny magical world."

Well there it is - the end of another BLOG - my apologies for lack of a Blog last week, 

but I feel I'm back with a vengeance this week! Here's to another Calorie Controlled

Hairy Bikers Week - please do leave your Comments - I do enjoy them!