Michael Palaeologus

I am going to the Quiet Room to sulk.

According to you, DM, she is a very attractive PREGNANT young lady. Therefore more expensive to maintain. There is no evidence that the child is mine and furthermore you are the one who wishes to throw her out on the street! Oh I can just imagine how quickly the gutter press would grab hold of that one: "Internationally famous multi-millionaire author and devoted Dulwich-Mother hurls gorgeous pregnant Lithuanian into the gutter - a distressed Michael Palaeologus tells the NOTW for a very reasonable sum" So, your offer? Hmm?

This vey afternoon. I have a pile of washing - would Ana oblige?

To be fare Sainsbos is open for other 3 days.... Surely its not that far to trek?

Hmmm. Lets start dowry negotiations ... Your opening offer DM?

Give em ?3 and make he earn a bonus.

It is that smell, that smell of napalm in the morning. Do you know what that smell is? VICTORY ... Daga daga daga - cabbage crates in the briney ... "Septic to Tiger, Septic to Tiger - come in Tiger" Chinooks based at Odiham, not Woolwich. They use the Thames as a flight route and may well have been doing something related to Trooping the Colour.

I get up at 5am and If going North - drive to Hillingdon tube on the A40 and park for ?3. Get the tube into town - work and pick the car up later that day. 2 hours to the Midlands. If going West - drive to Hounslow West - park for ?2.50 and do the same. To avoid central London traffic get up early.

Oh come on - somebody has to take part! We have tasted: New Zealand Montana - Weak nose on opening bottle. Taste - some tannin but not overly harsh, flavours = vanilla, damsons, but over all a bit thin. However we then left the wine for some 45 minutes resting in the glass and found it somewhat improved. The nose developed into a more fruity and satisfying experience with a bouquet redolent of dark summer fruits with plummy overtones. Given a further 30 minutes the nasal passages dedected chocolate overtones and "serious vanilla stuff and brighter fruit in the mouth - possibly even cherries - morello perchance". Great legs and colour. If you are a dusky leg man/woman this is for you. French - Calvet Reserve - Nose on opening = strong and fruity, damsons, plums. First taste was all tannin, overly dry and rather thin. Left for 45 minutes - nose had disappeared, the tannin taste had softened but the taste was lacking in structure. Being good English folk we gave this wine a further 30 minutes to redeem itself. The nose returned. The mouth experience was softer with some improvement in flavour but still disppointing. Overall - both wines benefit from time and possibly decanting (which we didnt do) and certainly need to be allowed to breathe for an couple of hours. Could well benefit from serving with food. We prefered the New Zealand.

I tip my hairdresser ?1. This is the ?5 hairdressers next to the "Spamalot" theatre - the lovely Romanian that slit chickens necks as a child.

Umm - I am in the Cotswolds - buy her a ticket to Chippenham and I will collect.

We may not know until the babe appears - Gingerspog and its mine.

My mate Trevor makes classical guitars at abou ?8K a go He lives near Hoopers. Anybody?

More flats!

I'll take her of your hands DM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah well, we were both a little drunk and I was showing her my Estonian etchings and she felt the need to show me her impressive assets and in the name of East/West relations we, well, related. It may not be mine as Ana is very friendly. If it is, I will happily share my Spiderman duvet and Mrs Dobbin with Ana. Can a chap be farer than that?

OK - here we go. A taste test of 2 similar wines from opposite sides of the planet. New Zaland - Montana. East Coast Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - its notes say "achieves a mellow balance between fruit sweetness and savoury tannins, leading to a silky finish with intense darfruit characters" - ?6.99 - Sainsbos France - Calvet Reserve Bordeaux, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - its notes say "generous blackberry and raspberry flavours emphasise its long, fruity and scy finish" - ?6.99 - Sainsbos So, there you have it. Two Merlot/Cab Sauvs - one new and one old world. We l be tasting tonight with food and I will post our thoughts tomorrow morning. Sorry for the delay, sometimes life just gets in the way. Cheers.

Where's my Spiderman duvet?

Oooh bugger, I shouldnt make these commitments until I check my diary. I am in Cardiff, at a conference and am staying with friends over the weekend - BUT We intend to make a purchase from Sainsbos do a group taste test and put our thoughts on the forum - probably Saturday. He that is OK. Sorry.

I used to live at the bottom end of Ivanhoe, in a flat - number 58. The area if OK - in the many years that I lived there I didnt experience any trouble. The only real pain was the P13 bus.

*Marvellous googlies dear boy, simply marvellous* *Eases pitcher of Pimms from parallel drinkie-verse* *Bracer anybody?* *Sets to ringing out knitted swimsuit - where is Ana when you need her and BOY do I need her now* *Did I dream that DM was getting a little jealous of Ana's ever increasing profile? Surely not*

If we all chipped in it could become the ED Forum holiday home! Hmmm ........

Please feel free to give him these teeth back - having extracted from, somewhere. Why is there a fine layer of powder all over D-M, batdog and the rest of the Quiet Room?

Huguenot - when I can follow his train of thought, often rather convoluted, but always packed full of facts. and SO many others!!

I shall go tonight and make a purchase. Another idea might be a taste-off. EG - Cahors (french traditional using the Malbec grape) vs one of the new world Argentinian Malbec based wines. Remember Sainsbos is shutting from 20 June for a week to complete the refurb.