Springing through the Drear

There's footie on the TV, the remains of a Thai curry in a pot on the stove and the rain has finally stopped (for now, at least). I've been reading Nigel Slater's 'Kitchen Diaries', and his ramblings about a salad of Cantaloupe melon, buffalo mozzarella and Parma ham (not to mention his 'Delightful Trifle') have reminded me that summer will one day return to wipe out the drear that seems to have dominated proceedings since January 1st.

Last night, we ate spectacular food at The Olive Tree (I'll post the review here as soon as it's been published in Folio/Venue), and today I underwent the first haircut'n'colour of 2008, to much personal acclaim: my hair is, right now, all fat and bouncy, with those frightful greys obliterated by shades of saffron and plum and aubergine (blimey, even my colourist's skills turn into a food review in the making).

The weekend came and went, suffused with bonhomie; the kitchen table hosted an 8-hour shift on Saturday evening, as none of us moved except to go to the loo or bring more food over to the table. At midnight, the YouTube party began; by 4am, Ross finally had his favourite pick of clips from West Side Story all to himself. We all went and ate a huge Sunday roast at GP the following day, followed by tea and cakes at the little French cafe in town - the one with the cobblestoned courtyard. In the evening, after our guests had left, I reviewed an excellent funny man called Paul Sinha at The Comedy Club in town (I keep trying to link you up to his website but there's a gremlin playing tricks on me, so just google him - he's fun. And anyway, that review, too, will appear here soon). Don't take this as in indication (or lack thereof) of quality, but I have to admit to indulging in a 10-minute nap halfway through the second half of the show - the weekend had, I guess, tired me out. I guess I'm just not as young as my hair colour would have you believe ...