Empowerment and fun for kids...

On a lighter note, today... I thought these T-shirts I spotted were fun. By FutureFreak at £9.99, they're available in sizes from new born until age 11. I'm slightly tempted to try the 11-year old size...

You're having a laugh...

If you're anything like me, then you'll have been a happy bunny over the past few days - enjoying the gorgeous late (very) summer weather, in London.  I was beginning to think that the s(ummer) word no longer had a place in our vocabulary.

Well,  September was also back-to-school time.  Even if that no longer features significantly in your life, think again... It can prove great fun and a brilliant source of autumnal/winter inspiration, to take a step back and consider (that old cliché) evening classes.  There's so much to choose from... 

An option I can heartily recommend, is to go for a stand-up comedy course.  I signed-up for classes, a few years back, at Richmond's Parkshot with excellent tutor, Tony Kirwood.  We were a very diverse bunch of students, ranging in age from 17-70(!); every class was a great laugh (combined with some high anxiety levels...).  It was a brilliant way to inject some sunshine into the grey winter months. 

Although I never had any intention of going on the circuit (oh no - not for me - I'm far too much of a 'corpser') I wanted to try my hand at topical comedy writing and I loved it...  The class put on a very well-received end-of-term show and one of the group - Jude Mahon - made it to the finals of that year's Funny Women competition.

Wine, friends and fun...

If you fancy a new twist on meeting friends at the pub why not arrange a wine tasting?  It's great fun - very social - a way to discover new wines and make new friends...

I had a couple of reasons to arrange a wine tasting last week... First, my love for all (most) things Italian inspired me to set-up a group on Qype called La Dolce Vita.  Then one of the delightful members started a discussion on favourite wines; so, as 'administrator', I took the initiative and organised a wine-tasting.  It was fun to do...I approached a few reputable companies and we ended-up collectively opting for Wined Up Here, run by the lovely Charlotte.  

Last week, friends (old and new) met-up in SW London and enjoyed comparing the relative merits of eight Italian wines, culminating in a grappa.  Charlotte and I got together (soberly!) beforehand to decide on the line-up.  We aimed for (some) regional variation, contrast and balance between taste and cost.  

On the night, I confess that the stars of the show (for me and for many others) proved to be the most expensive examples.  The Masi Amarone, at £22.50, was stunningly good - super-rich and unctuously velvety - unusual in its reliance on both fresh and semi-dried grapes, a special occasion wine to be relished and savoured.  The climaxing brown-hued Grappa di Amarone, by Allegrini - at £25 for 50cl - took me by surprise, initially, with its slight medicinal edge but after a few sips I was converted; when budget (and occasion) permits, I'll return to treat myself, or a friend...