30 April - Lies & TV

I like a garden b'day party which means you don't have to go to a restaurant and be stuck all lunch or dinner. These days am a bit insufferable of situations where I am trapped.
This couldn't have been nicer. Sunny day, sunny position, lovely table laden with picnic food choices and more cakes than you can want to sample. I'm partial to merengue. Glad that's made a come back. Or maybe eaton mess never went away in some parts.

The friends of b'day girl were all lovely though I tend to forget their names from one year to the next as, at more than a decade younger than me, they're not my usual circle. Noticed two couples with fresh babies. Spent a nice proportion of time discussing I's forthcoming book about lying, I already forgot the title, darn, but comes out soon, so Amazon here I come. Thanks to this subject and writer's natural wit, a lively discussion ensued on the cultural aspects to lying (you call it a lie, I call it a half truth and I only told it to protect the family/friends etc). I offered that some nationalities are forever tarnished by history as more capable of lying than others.... Italians were mentioned and people think it's to do with the war an switching sides, but I mentioned Pinocchio and the penny dropped for all. Darn its success. We internalise so much and if there's a kids' s novel out there about a lying boy from Botswana, it just hasn't been translated in all languages under the sun.

28 April - Latin & Cows

Research on events you want to attend is futile sometimes. If something gets billed as a talk by Toby Young about the decline of grammar/latin in schools, you sort of imagine there will be some hilarity. So you invite a couple of friends to the Idler academy.

However, I should have paid more attention to the 'talk' word. Which can mean lecture. And it was. A lecture about why he has started a free comprehensive in Hammersmith with a short Q&A after. I care about schools but since I don't have children, I care a lot less. I imagine it's almost impossible now to reverse the damage done by handing out GCSE's by the armful to kits who can't write and am not talking about split infinitives, god knows some of those escape my watchful eye often enough when I write (they don't if I bother to edit/re-read but sometime I'm too pushed for time). But it was mildly interesting at the end when some kid from a comprehensive in Holland park called Heathcote (! a very common name in parts of Essex i think) tried to argue a point vs Mr Young and was silenced. There was also interesting input from an English teacher who had taught in France where they still do it by rote instead of encouraging 'creative thinking'. I also learnt a lot by rote and I think you should. Learn the thing/methods and smash them up later, but in the meantime you're also employable above the level of moron.

None of this however interested my friend D who had arrived for the 7pm event having done a line. This was because she was going to have a drink at 8pm with a male friend she's nervous about ie. a date situation and she had got the powder because they were going to a gig afterwards. A vodka and tonic clearly is not enough to steady nerves. And so she braved 40 mins of the 'talk' before escaping - she needed the loo. Yes, of course. D also knew that the previous week at the Idler had been a big of a wash out (Anne Pigalle). I was going to lie about it but D said that daughter of friend had attended and said it was pants. What's the chance of that? I mean, there were 8 of us total in the audience!

After the talk, Toph was meeting friends at The Cow and so was I. I never ever go there for a drink, far too crowded, but on this occasion I walk in and there is Toph and his possee, two tables away is D with her date. I go upstairs where Angolan queen is having dinner with son and they're the only table apart from one where RF, musician I worked with is on a date! I practically knew the whole pub!

Angolan queen's son works in talent in advertising. He's 28 and earns 50k which is massively more than his mother. She's proud of that. He said something very sweet about me and I quote 'I have to deal with so many mad people looking for work, some of them are old but when confronted with some mad creative woman in her 50's with blue hair and funky glasses, I can deal with her because of knowing mum's friends, like you'.

How sweet is that? Sigh.... and no, I abhor blue hair and funky advertising glasses so rest assured he just meant his mothers' mates are mad. Sigh....... I got my revenge by stirring the conversation to discussing how men often pick girlfriends who have more than one aspect in common with their own mothers. After some searching he had to agree that his long term fiancee' is similar to his mum for x, y, z reasons. There you go. Go home and have sex now. But I love him really, very proud of him too.

26 April - Media & Circus

Driving in central London, saw the lookouts, green tree houses dotted outside Buck Palace on Green Park side and erected also outside Westminster but not amongst trees. How much are networks being charged? Or is it purely their own cost? What's the security there? Would be perfect place for a rogue sniper surely.

Will have assorted friends of friends either in those lookouts or in a corridor at BBC/CBS news dealing with feeding links etc. Will there be any Gaddafi news on the day or next few days or all Kate & Wills? I wonder. And poor Tim Etherington and US colleague. And trust a friend of ours who usually has nothing to do with war or photography, to be quoted in the Standard about Tim (who I doubt he knew, but may have rubbed shoulders with at a festival) . An impressive talent for self promotion, always.

25 April - Bank & Holidays

Why can't all weeks be 3 day weeks? Why do I have to work 5 days a week, though am lucky it's not 6 or am sure there are also people who work 7 days a week. Why does the prospect of having to work for another 15 or 20 years be the single most depressing thought I have every day (am sure it leads to cancer, somewhere in the body there is the one formed years ago when I used to think 'why will I have to work the next 30 or 40 years, where is my mystery inheritance or good fortune winding its way to me...?'

The only good fortune was the initially resisted and then accepted, decision not to fly anywhere this break. As emails and texts from friend under the rain in Spain/France/Italy/Majorca /Ibiza and so on arrive, I feel, well, sorry for them but super toasty. I only went to Whitstable and there's not a could in the sky in my photos. Thanks to H, T, and J a great little break was had by all, they stayed longer in H's perfectly appointed beach house.

The wine was seized upon, the lamb wasn't great (do not cook huge leg of lamb on a barbecue, all the juices run off it and you're left with dry meat, not that I ate it, my bbq fish was fab) and the men were far too urbane to be annoying. Their talk included comparing sunglasses and architectural styles. Though T and J also discussed football but briefly. T was happy just left alone to his Guardian. So I was happy left alone with bits of it too. I couldn't help but notice the gender division. No man made a move to ever clear up anything off a table or wipe it or wash. The 3 of them just seemed to take any crockery on the shelves until it was all used. Normally I would not have intervened but I was a guest and so wanted to help H (who was also running washing machine and hanging sheets and towels, though grateful I cam down with own pillows and towels, why make someone go to all that trouble for a night or two if you're coming by car? I slept like a log, would have happily stayed a week, maybe next time.

I was however thwarted in my wish to go check the new Turner just opened at Margate by Toph and T. who hate Tracey Emin with a vengeance, though not as much as the Chapman Bros hate her poor woman. J. had gone and thought the building had far too much indoor light for a gallery but I applaud the construction. Maybe next time for this too.

I also completed part of a diplomatic mission to perhaps effect the reapprochement of H and my good friend L. H. drifted off a while back without really giving L an explanation, she says we don't have that much in common. That is surely true and took a year for her to really notice and feel imposed upon (one very sensitive soul and constantly dwelling on the same same themes in her life/drama, the other a let's not dwell on the negative, very well educated and booky woman). H just found it tiring to listen /offer advice that is not taken, but I pointed out that they do have things in common, same age for example, though not background, it's just the style of communication that is so different and why ditch love and support over that? I suggested she tries my approach with L which was very blunt and went along the lines of 'am happy to listen to you droning on about your issues but am afraid that after an hour I don't give a shit about anyone's problems, (borderline asperger on the empathety scales me) so let's do this more like a therapist session, I give you an hour and after that the clock says stop and we chat about lightweight stuff or...I simply go home or you go home'. She went quiet on me for a couple of days and then resurfaced. Really you have to accept criticism or lose the entire relationship over some wounded pride. Not recommended among grown ups.

H thought this was brilliant but she's too true Brit to be able to bring herself to do it. But I also told her a bit about L's background who has grown up surrounded by foster brothers and sisters who her parents were looking after. So I said imagine the need for expression and 'me, let's talk about me' that L had when she had to be heard amongst many, and the fact that it's a bit too negative... well count yourself lucky you're not marrying into a jewish family for example. The real ones, endlessly parodied by themselves first. They just like to go on. Bit like am doing now, though the rest of the time am more sage on the mountain in a cave ie. keep away from me.

Toph and I returned and after a minor altercation due to a restaurant table that he was too slow in securing by NOT following my advice, I found myself going to see the Pina Bausch film by Wim Wenders w/o him. Though had Angolan queen friend and R. with me. He missed out. Film was wonderful. Very well paced, brimming wiht great settings for the pieces and moving in the dancers' testimony about Pina. Who they all loved (well, would they say otherwise on camera? Don't think so, but then why would they have stayed with her all this time?). At times it was panful watching but such a triumph to see older men and women dancing as if they were their 20 year old selves and dancing childlike or dejected and lost like. Brilliant. Go find this movie. There will be a dance just for you in it. Just speaking to you.

22 April - Olympics & Nobody

It may well be one of the greatest shows on earth but.... nobody is interested in going with me to any events next year. I have a few days to purchase a ticket, if I so wished, so have now resorted to emailing overseas friends saying 'hey, if you fancy the men's 100 mt or some fencing or some horse events or some ... anything, get in touch, I'll buy'. But doubt there will be any takers. Nobody wants to brave confusion, congestion etc. Maybe I should plan to be away/out of town by then? I think I'll buy a raft of random ones (if they assign them to me, which is not a sure thing especially when you're going for the lowest priced seats) and nearer the time I can trade, like you used to do at school with stickers or other highly collectable stuff like that. I saw someone's nephew recently and the poor boy had the familiar old problem, he was missing some stickers which were simply not produced in high enough numbers and so rare that none of his mates wanted to swap. Life teaches you how to be disappointed from a very tender age it seems. Here, here's 200 stickers but forever you will miss a crucial ten or so and the album will seem worthless without them. What a shitty realisation that is. Similar to me gazing at beloved scarves only to notice the snags on some of them.

11 April - Savings & Losses

You know how they say the more you spend the less you spend? Referring to buying the good version of something so it lasts longer? A shirt in fine cotton, in colours that don't fade vs a cheap option that falls apart at the seam because they have no overlocking machines in Vietnam? A decent pair of boots vs the cheap ones that a week later the heel has gone (and costs more than the boots to repair) and oh, the 'not' leather is peeling off the back? I know that and act accordingly. Sometimes it's ok to just have throaway stuff and sometimes you want the real deal. But how about this, saving time... I bought a hair tint that promises to dye your hair in only ten minutes. Great, let's see how good it is, because frankly Superdrug own brand may be not so good. Before I report back on the coverage/durability of the dye job itself, here's what happend in saving time. The 5 mins followed by 5 mins obviously made me a bit more slapdash than usual. I have learnt long ago to execute hair dye jobs naked so I don't ruin the clothes I'm wearing but this time I ruined the ones I wasn't wearing, and the rest. After I rinsed it all off and was happily drying my hair in a black towel (obviously) I saw some marks on the nice oak wooden floor in the hallway. My fitflops had picked up some dye and trawled it around. Quick, on my knees but no joy, wood is stained. Oh well. Then I noticed flicks of purple (by this point the dark blonde dye looks purple especially on white) on walls, bath tiles and oh, on the dress I had discarded in the bath tub for washing later. Christ NOOOO!!! So then spent ages with various amounts of bleach in a basin watching any crucial developments of dye being removed. No such luck. Increas the dose but hope fabric won't get holed by burns. No.. nothing. Oh, that would be because the dress is of synthetic fabric and bleach only works on natural fabrics. Yes, that will be it. So there you go. Cost of ten minute dye job at £3.99... considerably more in time/ruined items. When will I learn? However, no idea where I am in hormonal cycle as instea of crying over own stupidity and kicking a few things around in rage I just got on with it. It really is peculiar how much depends on simple chemistry.

9 April - More & Too Much

Gosh, am mad. My fear of dying is such that I fill every gap. I seem to have booked wim wenders/pina bausch film, the play with the geezer from Lost, can't even remember title of play, Fela Kuti's son's, Seun's gig, going to some stuff at the Idler Acad, and got given Kylie tix for Monday and don't want to go, and much more and all the time I say I just want to stay in!!!! aaaarggghhhhhhh Yesterday I ditched crossing London to see a friend of a friend's exhibition where other friends were going to meet, so I re-arranges seeing one of them this morning as she leaves the country this afternoon.

Then of course I got up and my suggestion of 'So I'll come to you and then will ride the tube/train to airport and chat and then I can read a novel on the way back' was changed to a phone appointment where we'll talk after you've checked in and will be sat with a glass of wine near departure lounge. Face to face is overrated right.

In the meantime we also dealt with the disappearance of friend I. who spoke to her at 5.30 making arrangements for the same exhibition and night out to follow and then never turned up or answered messages/texts. By this morning various friends were on the case (it's not like him not to just let you know he's gone and done something else instead) including a visit to knock on his door. No reply. Turned out that when the man turned up before he set off for the exhibit/party, he walked off with I's phone by mistake and left his. I's phone had little or no juice in it so it took him a while to recover it. Strange story but must be true. However, we, the friends, all confessed to each other that we had been very worried since I. drinks too much, does other stuff too much and at his age, we all thought 'Oh no, heart attack???' So, phew, no worries.

8 April - Galleries & Wine

Nice weather so nice turnout for EastEnd Prints exhib on Shore High St. The oop up choir doing Ground control to major Tom was inspired. DB get well soon if it's true you're losing some battle to cancer. H. had never been to a first Thursday art crawl and loved it. We were in and out of places pulled by the curating impatience of TB who 25 years ago would have been a big wig in the scene had it existed. Bless. Architect J was not paying that much attention to Toph doing his usual 'and over here we have and over there is...' Double bless, when he's a bit older I'll enrol him for some blue badge guiding course so when he's 65 he can do a couple of hours some days a week, make £50 and have an excuse to ogle young people and it will keep him fit walking. However, I just have to start saying no to unnecessary drinking. Truly people what do you get? Moderation is fine, above moderation you don't deepen any knowledge or enjoyment but what do I know, says the girl who ate some cheese and bread at Brawn on Columbia Rd at 10.30 at night whilst various unsober friends ordered raw beef and this and that. Eating at 10.30 at night is not ideal either if you ask me. Neither is it to go to another pub till they throw you out and then you have to cross town in a cab and drop dead on your bed at 1am. But hey, we had fun. shocking news was that very good friends were on the verge of splitting up! they have not drunk since Xmas and he said that the clarity this brings made him see that the relationship is not that solid. She on the other hand had found one of his recent diaries and read some stuff she didnt' know. Oh dear, fingers very crossed! Mercury retrogade and all that.

6 April - Future & Blues

Last night saw Source Code - good, could have done w/o the last five minutes but realised he had to tag them on to explain/resolve stuff that may have been too difficult to comprehend by Joe and Joanna Midwest or similar - sorry American friends. Then went to watch a gig by someone I had no clue about and was more than pleasantly surprised, an amazing blues guitairst from Essex Ramon Goose & a kora player from Mali, Diabel Cissokho at Blues Kitchen in Camden. Cue both me and Toph after parking the car in Arlington rd, telling each other we dined at the Crown & Goose and at the Cafe' Delancey zillions of times back in the days there wasn't much else and Camden was cool. Mid-80's perhaps? It helped that the Camden Palace was my main attraction in Steve Strange days and my mate I. lived for 19 years two streets away. Two or three things in a night has often been my style. At the gig we were handed a compilaton CD and one of the tracks on there is by the North Mississippi Allstars. Hi Cody and bro. And how I'd like a little road trip round your woods. Tonight have a round trip to collect some Kilye tix from a friend who can't go next week, will take the token gay friend to it, then go watch some comedy in Kilburn which I never do but this is more story telling than comedy. Tomorrow is art in Shore shores, Friday is DFW allace at Foyles. No wonder am always knackered, I run around as I did when I was 30 and for what? Gigs, talks, dance, art but what does it all add up to? Stuff that clogs my brain and that I no longer remember the feeling of after the event. In fact, since it's a slow day at work, I'll try and remember a few salient shows: The Verve somewhere up north, only because Richard Ashcroft did 2 or 3 songs (see, can't even remember how many) the other night at japan disaster benefit and it triggered the memory of that gig and one of the very few times I've fainted like a stone to the ground. Always for same reason, forgetting I don't smoke dope and doing so because...you can't always say no. On this occasion I should have known super ultra better that what F. smoked was too strong even for her (major paranoid woman that she became after spliffs). It's no fun fainting by the feet of thousand of other gig goers, but at least there was grass (ha ha ha) in the field and so didn't crack my skull. The Araki exhibition at the Barbican, because it was an early date with Toph and felt super heightened by the fact that Araki's work is highly sexualised and therefore was a way to check he wasn't a bore in bed. Not sure what he was checking... that I may be into being tied up? He didn't /hasn't tried it - yet. The first Glastonbury, quite late in life, Prodigy and Underworld headlining, where I lost W. and had his tent /car/keys all to myself whilst he was busy taking 40 E's with S. who he met there (she had the bag of drugs as she worked as promo person at a label) and married a couple of years later. And didn't that turn out well. The second Glastonbury because contrary to the first, it was rainy/muddy/miserable and have hardly been back since. Vittorio Storaro being interviewed at the NFT because of all the beautiful excerpts of his cinematography. Probably at the time of Under a Sheltering Sky? I wanted to marry him. From that movie memory springs another, Blade Runner in Leicester Sq, possibly with DB. If not him then maybe MC? But DB for sure watching Rirchard Gere in American Gigolo same place. Then walking out of Three Colours Blue, at the end of course and deciding that it had to be the end of me and C. Much before then, crying my eyes out at a french movie about a doomed love story set in a circus, which my friend K. had taken me to on NYD 1989? because she didn't know what to do with my fountain of tears (MC had left me that morning). I also remember being stunned by Diva and Betty Blue (that gives away my age so easily) and liking going to the movies with P. beause he likes directors I didn't know... like the one who did In The Mood for Love and 2026. Am sure I can come up with more movie memories. Can't think of that many exhibitions... Andres Serrano at the Barbican? Sebastiano Salgao at the same? The art bus one summer from the V&A round graffiti locations? Anish Kapoor at the Hayward? the Biennale with A. ten years ago? Jenny Holzer at Moma in NYC? was on my own i think. Some great dj gig with FBS but which one to pick? I never went to the best ones in Ibiza. Maybe the one at Brixton with Armand van Helden? the first one on the beach in Brighton? the last one at the Big Boutique? The last Stone Roses gig at Reading and the end of me and N? but after which gig did we make it back to the Langham? Must have been Wembley.... The Acacia gig with Bjork in Dublin when Bono and Edge stood behind me. that festival up north they don't do anymore and Julian Cope was playing and me and C. had a great trip as if we were a real couple and not an affair to hide? Simple Minds at Wembley when we knew them? Actually for gigs there are too many of these and should be just the first ones which come to mind like Psychedelic Furs in West Brompton or Eurythmics at the Barracuda. Plus the two I never saw by accident... Marley at the Rainbow and Nirvana at the Waterrats. The first flotation tank in LA the year Altered States came out? Have seen precious few catwalk shows and they've never held me in thrall much. Clubs, oh my god where to start/stop? The nights spying on yellow jersey at Taboo? The ones at the Wag? or Love? the first time at the MoD when it was amazing? Ok, am boring myself now so will stop. how about dance? maybe the first time I saw Michael Clarke back in his first shows at Sadlers Wells? how about theatre? have seen tons and some fab stuff but it never sticks? Juliet Stevenson in Death and the Maiden twenty years ago? various Neil La Bute? various Checkhov? how about classical? Love Esa Pekka Sanonen directing anything he chooses? how about restaurants? zillions but am not a foodie so love Petrus (the marcus wareing version), loved Brawn in Columbia Rd the other night, remember milk and honey, arbutus, a lunch at Scotts, a b'day lobster in ireland, some pasta by the sea in italy, a dinner at l'aterlier de joel robuchon, some sunday lunches at the ringside in kingsland rd, doesn't exist anymore, the first time I ate avocado puree' in LA, which bore no resemblance to the avocado at Cafe' Pacifico back in the days when that was the one and only mexican restaurant in london, some amazing chinese in HK, street food anywhere in the east, the dahl and rice on the nepal trekking, but there's lots I will never remember and frankly never anything I've cooked since I eat to live and not live to eat sadly for Toph who sees his 'let's go out for dinner' often curtly declined. Basically what happens to Tilda Swinton in I'm Love will never happen to me, I just don't think my taste buds function properly, they're marginally better at savouring wine. But see, I can never really zone in on one thing and recall it perfectly, it's more 'oh yes, that was good'. Maybe too much choice?

3 April - Motor & Mouths

Our friend P. is staying fresh off the plane from USA as can't face going to her house due to some major raucus with husband who has accused her of having god knows how many affairs in the time she's been away looking after very sick mother (and before then). Funny how he can't produce any proof since there have been no affairs and it's all in his head. I blame the skunk. Honest, who does he think he is? Bob Marley? At sixty something it's time to see some sense and lead a healthier life. And before anyone says that a joint doesn't hurt anyone, these are many joints and I don't think dem police are lying when they point out to the psychosis engendered by current crops. P. talks non stop which is fine in small doses. No jetlag for her. Though I have to set boundaries for her and Toph incessant talk of the hell of modern TV making. It's too much them vs us for me. If it was always so fraught how do all these progs get made? Everyone has bad tales to tell in theatre, movies, books , the ministry of defence , the Olympics, the bank of England, whatever, it's life. We go for a pizza and her friend C. joins and for once she's sober (because tired) and very funny. Her experiences in the world of commercials /movies are priceless. This last one she did where the brief was so confusing was just the best. You know when you get asked for something old but modern, black but white, traditional but edgy and then they forget to tell you they need it for an actress and you've made it for the guy who's 6ft 6". That sort of thing. In the course of this we discover she was Jon Moss' g/friend at the time of CC formation and of course I have to call and tell my friend who was a major JM stalker back in the days. Too funny. We also discover that C's father was the lawyer who made some history by obtaining that a transgender man convicted of a crime be allowed to be sent to Holloway women's prison though can't find anything about him on the web. Must find as want to tell L. and E. for their pull the other one web magazine. Though lawyer in question is now dead so can't do interview.

3 April - Screams & Beats

Unabridged from email sent to friend. Brixton was better than I thought. We arrived late so missed the Coral, saw 1 song by Weller (enough) and after that was great as you get to hear fab artists doing only a few of their hits so you don’t get bored. The surprise for me was an acoustic Kelly jones whose voice is so strong that I was blown away (and presence). Richard Ashcroft also acoustic was a bit croakier but good. The best 4 songs from the Primals, hooray, now I don’t feel bad I didn’t catch the Screamadelica gigs, with the intervening years it’s clear to see what the Primal were/are, which is the rolling stones/stooges for kids who would not have wanted to go and see the ‘old’ stones. Have fond memories of that album as was f ck soundtrack to my times with MG. His pick. My friend E/S instead has nightmares from looking after the Gillespie crew at the height of their gargantuan drug taking. Am suprised she managed to avoid a breakdown. And then…. Beady Eye. Yawn, Liam in a parka, as ever. Moving a bit more than usual, that's novel. M. can say what she wants but to me it’s a lame concept. The single came along and she leans and tells me ‘Liam wrote this himself’ and I said yes, and John Lennon did the othe75%! Then another song comes along and I had to ask ‘is this one of theirs?’ as to me it was 'Get Back', Get back to where you once belonged (am a bit unsteady on the Beatles as not my thing ever, but I think that Liam song was 75% them and 25% him! Honest! How can ayone buy this stuff? But well done him for raising 150k for tsunami victims (idea originated as he felt really bad about a Sony Japan lady who sent him moving updates on the situation) and the bill came together in 2 weeks, thanks to him rather than management and best of all nobody made any speeches! Just got on , sang, got off. There at 8.30 back by 10.30. Perfect. Always feel bad exiting a show with backstage pass in my pocket and not giving to some fan who would jump for joy but... couldn't be done.

1 April - Friends & Culture

Love friends, I should really just stop trying to keep up with the sunday papers and just rely on mates for all I need in life. paulette g., new acquaintance from art show, and her mention of Paula Rego so an hour spent on Saatchi website and with the help of the illustrative text , I 'get' the paintings, whilst previously had not liked her at all. Ansuman sending the tagore festival link and reading the lovely words of this poet. Which one forgets from one year to the next. http://www.tagorefestival.com/pages/taste.html M. telling me he's mastered his new album which triggers listening to old catalogue. Then meeting his friend J. again, in town from NY and therefore checking him out again as he's now a big cheese in the concrete music movement, see Ether Festival on South Bank etc. Going to the Japanese pianist benefit at Kings Place with colleagues and finding out music by japanese composer I didnt' know, hearing a beethoven I didn't know or remember and discovering that David Bailey is also a sculptor in metals and I like most of his objects. Who knew? T. from San Diego describing her trial and errors with synthetic hormones to find some relief from her migraines and menop which I can use info I have now read about on net for next time I see GP. trying to persuade S in venice who's putting on her first mini festival that she should start the pop up restaurants movement there.. .but I know I'll be told italians do this all the time w/o charging , they won't get it that it's strangers that come to your house and you also get to know them, we shall see. Oh just checked with other friend who says health and safety and 'finanza' ie fiscal people making it impossible. Such a shame, and I thought it was a quasi anarchic type of country where they'd let these kind of things pass.

forget the www, how about wide reaching friends?