British Pride

I don’t have anything to say today. Not one thing. I’ve not done anything interesting. I’ve merely sat at various tables, attempting to tick mundane tasks off a list written on the back of an envelope. I’ve done washing, I’ve tidied things, I've sent invoices, I've played with the rats, I've sent ideas for projects to various producers, drank copious mugs of tea, sent a shirty email to an agent who crossed someone I care about. Nothing of any great consequence and certainly nothing to write about in great detail.

I notice that the government has decided to double the budget for the Olympic games opening ceremony. Another £41m to spend on a massive display of British pride. No doubt an old rocker will play guitar licks, and Leona Lewis will wail a bit, whilst 26,000 deaf school children hold little cards above their heads to form a variety of world flags whilst signing "Hey Jude" or Elbow's "One Day Like this a year will see me right." I’m pretty sure there’ll also be some optical illusion/ lighting effect which turns the entire stadium into a lake, whilst a life-sized ferry floats through the sky on wires. There's a limit to what you can do in a circular stadium when it's raining. The audience will all be given glow sticks - and from helicopters the whole place will look like the milky way. I suspect the injection of cash will mean the key artists double their fees. The 25,000 school children, wheelchair dancers and community choirs, however, will still earn nothing.

I was really proud when I heard that the original plan for the ceremony reflected the austerity of our times. When there’s less money, people have to be inventive. Leona Lewis drops off the list of performers, but you get someone less well known - but crucially, better! We all know we can’t afford the Olympics. They're going to cripple the economy, and I hate the fact that we’re using the platform to try to pretend to the rest of the world that we’re fine and dandy. What’s wrong with an austere opening ceremony? Why don't we spend £40m on creative projects outside London for people who can't afford to be there?

350 years ago, and Pepys went for a fourth sitting with Mr Savill the portrait painter. The picture still wasn’t pleasing him, and he was starting to get worried. Pepys had mince pies for lunch. Sadly, I think it was a coincidence that he ate them so near to Christmas, as they used to be eaten all year round. They were enormous things as well – a savoury/ sweet mix of meat, fruit and sugar which could weigh up to 20lbs. Still, they were obviously something a bit decadent, reserved for a special occasion, as Pepys used them as the basis for an impromptu party. The evening was spent at the theatre, seeing Hamlet.