Toilet Cap

It’s an absolutely beautiful day today and I'm sitting having my lunch in Waterlow Park, listening to the birds, the game of tennis behind me and the distant groan of an aeroplane. The place is almost empty, I assume because the kids have started to go back to school, or perhaps because they’re all in Woolworth’s buying stationery. At least they would be if Woolworth's still existed. Sadly missed...


There was a group of kids in the cafe this morning who were like a teenaged, plummy version of Sex In The City. One of them was called Elektra! She oozed confidence and charm, until she spilt two enormous vats of hot chocolate all over the place, but even then she seemed to deal with things in a fairly un-flustered sort of way. I suppose if you’ve got a name like Elektra, you’ve really got to step up to the plate!

I found out today that my film, Watford Gap: The Musical, has been nominated for a Gillard Award, which means that every film I’ve made has now been nominated, or won some kind of pretty nice award, for which the Great Lord in all of his infinite wisdom and humour be thanked.

I'm seriously worried about finding gospel and folk singers for the motet, and pretty scared about the concept of finding trebles if St Paul's School can't help. It's occupying my thoughts so much that I ordered a tea this morning, stood at the counter as they made it and then walked away, sat down and started writing lists. It was only after I tried to pour tea out of my previous(empty) teapot that I realised the tea I'd bought some five minutes ago was still on the counter. Cold as a corpse.

September 3rd 1660 was a busy day for Pepys. It started with a visit to an unnamed goldsmith near the New Exchange. Pepys informs us that it was here that he bought his wedding ring, but today he was there on behalf of Montagu, who wanted a ring attached to an extravagant jewel he’d been awarded by the King of Sweden. His plan was to make a “George” out of it to wear around his neck with his Order of the Garter garb.

Montagu left for sea at noon and Pepys was rather thrilled to see the kindness with which “the King did hug my Lord at his partning”. Pepys went to Lambeth with his master, and saw him onto the coach which would take him through Kent towards the Cinque ports. It reminded Pepys of Montagu’s first trip overseas; a visit to the Mediterranean in February 1656, which also started in a coach at Lambeth.

Pepys arrived home to discover one of Montagu’s servants waiting for him. Montagu had forgotten to pack a whole host of things including “a toilet cap” (any ideas?) and a “comb of silk to make use of in Holland, for he goes to The Hague”.