After writing that subject line, I was suddenly reminded of the song lyrics "too much wine and too much song, wonder how I got along" . . . first one to figure it out gets a signed copy of my book! ;)

So this week found me in some of my more comfortable surroundings--tasting wine and listening to jazz. The former event was at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, near Hyde Park, and was sponsored by Decanter magazine (they tout themselves as the world's best). There were 63 stands covering Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and, but of course, the good ol' US of A. Starting point? Yep. I was thrilled to see Ste Michelle there, and pouring the Eroica. Yum. I also enjoyed the Erath '06 Pinot. The Canoe Ridge Merlot wasn't half bad, either. Berginer was there, and best of breed was a Bancroft Ranch '04 Merlot. Fetzer didn't wow me. Domaine Serene's Rockblock Syrah ('06) was good, but at £28, it'd better be!

There were some lovely bottles at the other stands--notably, a Ken Forrester (South Africa) '05 blend of shiraz-grenache named The Gypsy. a Sauv Blanc from Stellenzicht was lovely. Idiom Wines, also SA, had a nice Zinfandel (Primitivo) but was a bit high at £15. A Bordeaux-style blend for £16 had me thinking "what's not to like"! Argentina's best showing was an '08 Torrentes from Bodega Colome (and a £9 at that). The Zuccardi '08 Malbec from Familia Zuccardi was lovely--and it was nice to chat with Jose Alberto, of the family Zuccardi. For whites, Finca las Moras had a nice Sauv Blanc and, for something after dinner, a delicious Late Harvest Viognier from San Juan that was just £6. Australia had a lovely Pedro Ximenez NV from Turkey Flat Vineyards, a nice after-dinner selection. I was impressed with their Mourvedre, an '06 that was delicious without food; Mourvedre is an unusual grape to do as a single varietal and often needs something else on the palate, but this one was nice. A cab-Merlot from Vasse Felix had my tasting companion saying "jolly good"!

It was quite fun to chat up with Ben Glaetzer, of Glaetzer Heartland Wines (Barossa Valley) in Australia. Ben was happy to talk up his wares, and we were happy to listen and sip. The Shiraz Grenache '07 was good and well priced at £13. The Directors' Cut shiraz was fab, too.

New Zealand's Spy Valley had the best of their region's tasting with an '07 Gewurtz (nicely priced at £11.50). It was best super-cold, as my first taste was a standing bottle rather than one from the ice bucket.

There were several tables that didn't get a visit--so many stands, so little time (and so little food)! The Hotel has a lovely restaurant called The Island and after a few hours of sipping and not spitting, it was time. My salmon was delicious . . . even with sparkling water!

The following day, Sunday, was my second "escort" assignment for Sixty Plus/Age Concern, the volunteer organization I signed up for in my borough. Mohammed enjoyed our walk so much the previous weekend that he requested me again, and I was happy to oblige. In fact, until SP/AC matches me with a person who has requested befriending, I am happy to walk with Mohammed, chat about Morocco, his home, living in London, the weather, and whatever suits us.

The walking continued as I headed to Richmond-on-Thames that day. It was a lovely London spring day--sunny, cool in the shade and warm in the sun. Just eight miles from central London, here you can walk the Thames path for miles, passing the (Twickenham) rowing club, getting a glimpse of a live polo match (which seemed quite exciting), and, on full-moon days, being diverted to a slightly more inward path to avoid the high tide waters taking over the path! It was a beautiful walk along the river, meandering as the Thames does. Further inland, the town has a lovely shopping area with some narrow cobblestone streets that speak to the town's history, and it was one of those lovely Sundays filled with strollers (the wheeled kind and the two-footed types), shoppers, and, at the various green spaces, sunbathers.

Richmond Hill Park is vast, green, and, much to my surprise, filled with people-friendly deer. It was unusual for me to see deer grazing within feet of kids, couples, everyone, without a care. In New Jersey, getting that close (within just a few feet) of deer would see them scamper away; here, they were simply disinterested. Kites soared, ice cream devoured, and life good.

Factoid: there have been some famous residents of this area: Mick and Jerry (yep, them), Leonard and Virginia (Woolf; I was thrilled to pass their residence and home of Hogarth Press, founded in 1917), George Eliot (I love Silas Marner). Chaucer. A few Henrys (I, VII, VIII). My gosh what wonderful history, what a wonderful place. What a wonderful way to end a weekend.

The week started off with a trip to the 606 to see Dan Reinstein's quintet--Dan is an ophthalmologist who happens to be a brilliant saxophone player, and I was introduced to him though my dear friend Heike. The 606 Club, you may recall from an earlier blog posting, is a true jazz venue--it's in the basement, it's dark, has a low ceiling, and is filled with small wood tables and chairs. The food is fabulous. The music has always been wonderful. Dan noticed something different about me--no glasses--and I reassured him that I hadn't been through laser surgery--his specialty--owing my look to contact lenses! The quintet included a fabulous trumpeter along with Dan's core bass player, pianist and drummer. What a treat for a Tuesday night . . . and I hope to get there next Tuesday when Dan plays with the fantastic Vana Gierig on piano. Vana is a friend from NYC and he is, in my humble opinion, one of the best jazz pianists of his time. My friend Jess will be staying with me and she is taking me to dinner that evening, though Dan assured me that the music would continue well into the night, so I am planning to head back to the 606 next week to catch Vana and Dan. (They went to school together at Berklee and don't often get to play together, so this is a special gig!)

What's left of the week was planning a bit for Budapest next weekend--a trip on the Danube, St. Stephen's Basilica, and a few good Hungarian meals . . . I am so looking forward to the trip with Janina and Birgit. I hope you'll look forward to reading about it on my next post . . . until then, enjoy these mid-May delights of sun, warmth and anticipation of an upcoming holiday for both the UK and the US!