Savoury Crepes

We went to Covent Garden today, and had crepes for lunch with our friend Carey. He talked about Flashdance, which has just started previewing at the Shaftesbury Theatre and it was fascinating to hear all the inside gossip. I can’t wait to see the show, although I'm not sure how I'd get on with a building filled with so many different and equally important creative people all needing to have their say, and in some cases, have their egos massaged. Surely with so many lyricists, book writers, composers, directors, choreographers and producers rushing around, the danger is that a show can end up being nothing but a product of compromise?


I'm never sure that I'm the biggest fan of savoury crepes. I think they go all spongy with anything other than a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar. When you start throwing cheese and mushrooms and bits of raw tomato into the equation, it turns into something it’s not meant to be. Nevertheless, I dutifully put my prejudice aside and ordered something called “A Greek”, which had all sorts of things like feta cheese, aubergines and halloumi scattered all over it. Sadly, when it arrived, it looked like something you might try to avoid stepping in on a pavement on a Sunday morning. It was enormous and completely circular, and it arrived on a giant deft plate to fit in with the Dutch theming of the restaurant. Suddenly I understood why there were clogs hanging from the walls! Anyway, I now feel like something made of lead is sitting in my stomach, so I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back.

It rained almost solidly today, thereby cementing in my mind the notion that summer is well and truly over, and that autumn might not be happening this year.

September 26th 1660 was a Wednesday. Pepys started the day at St Olave’s Church where, once again, he was discussing the gallery that was being built to elevate Pepys and the two Sir Williams above the hoi-palloi. Pepys went home afterwards and stayed there all afternoon with the workmen, claiming that his house was in a “most sad pickle.” He then went to his office and got distracted by a book about geography, which he read until late. When he eventually returned home, he found his live-in clerk, Will Hewer was missing. This made him angry, so angry, in fact, that when poor Hewer eventually got home, Pepys gave him a clip around the ears.