Verba mea auribus percipe Domine, intellige clamorem meum.
Intende voci orationis meæ, Rex meus et Deus meus.
Quoniam ad te orabo: Domine mane exaudies vocem meam.
Mane astabo tibi et videbo: quoniam non Deus volens iniquitatem tu es.
Neque habitabit iuxta te malignus: neque permanebunt iniusti ante oculos tuos.
Odisti omnes, qui operantur iniquitatem: perdes omnes, qui loquuntur mendacium. Virum sanguinum et dolosum abominabitur Dominus:
ego autem in multitudine misericordiæ tuæ. Introibo in domum tuam: adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum in timore tuo.

A principle isn't a principle until it costs you something.

TEACH A WOMAN TO SEW, CLOTHE HER FOR A LIFETIME.

TEACH A MAN, HE'LL TEACH HIS ACQUAINTANCES, START A BUSINESS, AND PRETTY SOON AN ENTIRE VILLAGE IS ON THE MEND.

An ad from Oxfam.

Who thinks it's outrageously sexist?

A WEEK IN PROSPECT

Laytham
Breakfast Club
London
Amsterdam
London
Somerset
Laytham
A large bill for the Range Rover.

HIS COY MISTRESS?

TODAY'S MENU

Roasted aubergine, onion, new potatoes,and pine kernels with mint and feta. Very unctuous and nice, whilst still reasonably light. A good antidote to several very carnivorous days.

Beetroot, blood orange and balsamic salad.

A salad of rocket, lambs lettuce, black olives, celery, nuts and cucumber.

Chateau Musar 2002.

A key lime cheesecake.

L'ENFER C'EST LES AUTRES

HRD
RIP

BUSH

I'm a fan of portraiture.
I came across this remarkable protrait recently, of George Bush, by Siegfried Woldhek. You can see more of his work at http://blog.woldhek.nl/

There's an old joke: "Did you hear about the Chinaman seeking knowledge? Went to Norfolk."

Several of my coaching clients are grappling with the limitations of knowledge. That tussle comes along with being given a seat at the top table. Suddenly, knowledge is not enough. The skills which meant you were the guy or girl with the answer have to be dropped, as you become the guy or girl with the questions rather then the answers.

My Mum and Dad used to say, in an effort to get me to apply myself to my studies, "knowledge is power."

But how did they know since they never had any?

The truth is that the more power you have, the more you are reliant on the knowledge of others. And the more you need the intanigible skills of tapping it.

NEVER LET ME GO

I'm about to gush.

Sometimes one sees something so brilliant, it demands it.

The Missus and I have started dating again, a luxury enabled by doing the deal of all childcare deals. At my age a hot date isn't as hot as it used to be. A good deal less hot than a Range Rover's exploding coolant system. Still, amor vincit omnia.

Thus, we have made a couple of forays into the local art house cinema.


One was to see the King's Speech. Highly recommended, and a performance enough to convince me that Colin Firth is an actor after all, and not just a cardboard cutout.

But last night we went to see Never Let Me Go. It has shot on one viewing (the first of many, I think) to the top of my all time greatest film list. I've rarely seen such a densely packed piece of brilliance. It should be compulsory viewing for every English speaking person. Yes, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and the other actors are great, but it's the screenplay based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel which is the real source of the brilliance. That, and the direction, locations and cinematography. What we end up with is a searing, shocking, devastating critique of western society inside a sad little love story. Layers, layers, more layers. A film to get you talking, arguing, and even reevaluating your own life.

Not often I'd say a film is life changing. But this is.

Go and see it.

Now.

Or else.

CAR GONE POP

Bah!

That's gonna cost.