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

Birthday 2012 my bouquet

Basically I relaxed ..had a very nice lunch with

others..opened cards ... simple things which are so nice and important

..what a change for me now from the permanent travel around the world

...........and how very much I enjoy it............

Kuala Lumpur visit

When I stayed in Kuala Lumpur last time
there were so many new things which I had
not seen when I lived there..

.....one was to live out of town ..to go to small streetside
restaurants which were not so busy.....
unlike the ones in centre city which I was used to visiting...

I had the long commute out of the city...........
even London traffic did not feel to be so bad
after these journeys.............
however the destination a quiet secluded street..
peaceful evenings when I was at home..
seemed to compensate for the journeys..
this was such an evening
.............. with my hosts...........

Embassy of Indonesia

My last meeting with Yuri, Ambassador to Indonesia before he returned
to Jakarta..we talked about my new book, which I will start working
on again soon..the next time it will be with his replacement...
the new Ambassador, soon to be in residence in London....I enjoyed the Indonesia

Evening at Harrods earlier.... meeting old friends is always pleasant... and the Store

used to sell my Drawings books ..so I have a special interest there too