My Christchurch book.... as yet incomplete in NZ UK NEWS

 I started this book in my right hand  long ago with much encouragement from good people who I knew. The Managing Director Saatchi & Satchi, two Director Partners of my Accountants Ernst & Young, the Director of Canterbury Manufacturers Association, Director The Chamber of Commerce and the Directors of NZ I Corporation..New Zealand Insurance..as I was its Consultant working from Christchurch......it was an unfortunate time in my life, after a few months my father died in England ..I returned home and 7 months later my mother died also..and I had no thoughts of going anywhere..eventually I did return, and in Auckland an old friend Michael Guy was publishing the book
The best of New Zealand ..I agreed to be his Consultant..and I illustrated his book...  now Christchurch also is in chaos.. and I hope that one day the many drawings, photographs & writing may help in its restoration as I have a little already
My  Cathedral drawing was used by myself and NZI as a Christmas card

Ng Yen Yen's London Dinner

 Ng, the Minister of Tourism,  and I have met previously, and of course I know her guest, we met at another Cabinet Minister's event in London..
............Jimmy Choo is famous far away from his Malaysia home..
and it was so nice to see him again ..At this Dinner no one was formal ..some even got up on to the stage for impromtu singing..great fun ..I really enjoyed this Malaysia evening..as I always do

Friends from TV and film worlds at lunch

 Lunch at Greswolde Hotel  in Knowle near Solihull
with Wendy Lloyd of BBC and Christopher Durden Camerman

Wendy came to interview me on film for The Express and Star newspaper. Christopher filmed me at  Dudley Exhibition, at my London Talk when Lord Cormack spoke at my Dinner  and at Birmingham Conservative Dinner when I was  after dinner speaker .............

The Royal Commonwealth Society LONDON

I have visited and stayed here many times ....
The RCS no longer has accommodation......A pity... as I used to enjoy staying here, now it is a place to come to hear Ministers and sometimes Heads of State of the Commonwealth....to discuss its affairs and prospects.....and sometimes to meet also

Heads of other Nations In recent years Emeka An Yaoku who I am pleased to call a friend..and I, have met here, Lord Malloch Brown and I talked about the UN, Dr Mahathir who I met many times in Malaysia, and who hosted me there...they and many others have brightened my London visits in their own way.....................

Dudley

 A lovely sunny day today.. I walked a little ..looked at the Castle..decided not to walk there..the hill is quite steep...............
when I was in New York,  now two years ago, I went to The Lincoln Centre to see..and listen to Stravinsky, Oedipus Rex, brilliantly conducted, as always, by Gergiev..I had seen him previously at the superb Symphony Hall in Birmingham..and as he is back here soon in April, I have just booked to listen to Wagner ..Parsival on the 6th next month..as soon after the New York Concert I was hit and injured by a car just off 5th Avenue, I shall take this as a celebration of my return to health....it has taken 2 years to get this far...............

Shugborough

 Shugborough again ..the front of the house..which was to be in my book on Patrick's house and local villages..but I stopped working on it when he died, and my enthusiasm has eluded me since, it is a delightful area, however I have not visited since we last met and talked about it...........

Shugborough

 I visited Patrick The Earl of Lichfield at his studio in London, and I spent many hours drawing his home in Staffordshire, Shugborough. This is the side of the building where he had a private entrance. He liked my drawings and books, collecting one or two, and we enjoyed talking about our mutual love of this part of England, although my home county is the one next door, Worcestershire, where I now spend most of my time..until travel calls again I expect