John Mclaughlin Trio - Que Alegria Expo '92

I have just managed to get a clean copy of an amazing performace by the Yorkshire-born John Mclaughlin, one of the worlds greatest guitar players, I saw this trio a couple of times they were on fire! - This is one of the best recorded videos and this is very rare, I edited it on my iMac and uploaded it to YouTube last night so the quality should be good, watch for Trilok Gurtu dipping bells in water! AMAZING - their studio album at this time is 'Que Alegria' and the one before from 1989 - 'Live At The Festival Hall' which I was lucky to be in the audience the night it was recorded is also worth hunting down. Great music, Mclaughlin's fingers look like they are trying to escape from his hands! This was only shown once on UK TV in 1992, so very special.

Dan Cruickshank's Favourite London Walk

BBC presenter Dan Cruikshank who has lived on Elder Street in Spitalfields for 30 years starts a new BBC programme in April, in the meantime he has listed a great East End walk around our neighbourhood on the BBC website HERE

Dennis Severs House, Spitalfields.

Made a trip to Dennis Sever's House today in Spitalfields, East London. What an amazing experience well worth the £8 entry fee. Its only open on certain days of the month, Severs was an American who loved England, The house is a time capsule – sometimes opened up. If you look closely you can see a squirrel!


Its creator, Dennis Severs, an artist used his visitor’s imagination as his canvas, and who lived in the house much the same as its original inhabitants may have done in the early 18th Century. To enter its door is to pass through a frame into a painting: one with a time and life of its own! 18 Folgate Street Spitalfields E1 6BX - nearest tube Liverpool Street - his is a fascinating story more info here: www.dennissevershouse.co.uk

The Tribeca Grand Hotel NYC (My Favourite Hotel)

Was lucky enough to stay at the Tribecca Grand Hotel in New York last week - my favourite hotel (besides the TravelLodge in Milton Keynes) You can request a goldfish in your room and the photo above is the view you get when you leave your room looking down onto the var and restaurant area. Its 4 star and not cheap (we lived like Mahatma Ghandi for the last few months - although its one of Virgin Holiday's hotels so its cheaper to go with them as a package. Its in an area not know for its hotels near Canal Street and is the sister hotel of the Soho Grand, this and SoHo are close by. www.tribecagrand.com

New York From The Staten Island ferry

Beautiful clear day here in New York , so we jumped on the ferry and
took amazing pictures of lower Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry - must be New York's bargain tourist trap! - even managed to get a close up of the Eiffel Tower, or was it the Hanging Gardens of Basingstoke?!