Went to Jo Rigatoni’s restaurant in Harrogate last night. An old favorite. It’s the most family friendly grown up restaurant we know. Top notch food and service. I was teaching Jaygo how to do the ‘catching the waiters eye, without making yourself look rude or like there’s something wrong with you’ trick. Very attentive staff – an ideal learning ground for the above.

To go with my draft peroni, I opted for an Involtini Di Firenze, which I bravely ordered, trying to pronounce it as accurately as possible  in Italian (again, whilst trying not to look rude or like there was something wrong with me). Beautiful dish.  Eirene had the Calzone – I’ve had this before – one of the most satisfying meals on the planet. Ed, my ace Father in Law had spag bol – very enjoyable, by all accounts. we only had around 66.66% of our children with us as Felix was/is on a sleep over in Ripon. Jay and Sophie enjoyed their pizzas and ice cream and being treat like princes and princesses.

Had some lovely chats and watched restaurant filling up – families, couples, celebrations, work outings, couples, business visitors; all sorts. I’ts one of those restaurants people do make an effort for but it still feels casual and relaxed. A happy place, good food top service and even though it’s quite a large pad, it doesn’t feel like a ‘big restaurant’ if that makes sense. Anyhoo - recommended.

Alan Bennett - playwright, screenwriter, actor and author

Completely out of the blue on Friday afternoon, I got a call from an old friend who was involved with an event in Leeds that needed a photographer as the arranged chap had dropped out. I jumped at the chance, then jumped at a shower, then jumped at a smart black shirt and headed for Leeds.

Amid the Après-work city center who’s attention had been diverted to Children in Need, I found La Grillade,  a vaulted cellar French restaurant celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary. The format for the night was that of a charity night in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Care, in the company of, regular patron, Alan Bennett. The MC – Editor of The Business Desk - David Parkin, set the pace and invited everyone to think of questions to ask Alan, after he’d finished his tea. This teased out a few fascinating insights into Bennett’s creative process – basing his characters on specifics and how he’s actually not (by his own admission) very good at ‘making things up’, and how he really liked the Talking Head format where he got to focus on the detail of a single character at greatly zoomed in level.

Having been lucky enough to see a Talking Heads show at Harrogate Theatre in 2006, and having probably read watched and absorbed more of his material than I’d realised,  It dawned on me that I was in the company of a living Yorkshire legend.  I then went on to muse an idea that he is to Leeds / Yorkshire what L.S. Lowry is to Manchester. Like Lowry, he’s an acute observer of people and society. Like Lowry, he comes across as quite humble and down to earth with no airs and graces. Like Lowry, he is known by the masses but hasn’t sold out. Unlike Lowry, he’s illustrated 20th Century middle class where as Lowry was all about the 20th Century working class. Different mediums, but both portray a real character of people – brilliantly.

Back to the Yorkshire Legend notion – I’d say Bennett is up there with Hockney, Moore, Saville (of the Jimmy) , Boycott (of the Geoffrey). If  the measure of a legend is his legacy, Bennett has already got a fine body of work behind him. And from the twinkle in his eye on Friday night, I’d say there could be a bit more lead in his pencil yet.

As well as taking a bunch of photos of the evening (click here to view them)»

I shot a short video of him reading a piece called “Stopped, the key lost”:

A day to remember. As we park our paper poppies on our lapels it’s a time to remember those before us who sacrificed so much so that we have what we have today. (It’s at times like this that) I personally feel utterly fortunate to be alive today, and to be living a life in all probability more comfortable than any of my forefathers have lived before.

The hardships and sufferings that men like my Grandad Watson went through to ensure that we have what we have today were extreme. Boiled down – they gave us peace, freedom and comfort. Three things that we take so much for granted, but for which millions before us have given their lives.

A time to remember. A time to think. A time to take stock and reflect that the primary objective of humanity should be the continuum of these three watchword – peace, freedom and comfort. And spaceships. Maybe an answer to the meaning of life other than  ’42′ would be good as well.

She’s doing well. First weekend. No bother with Fireworks we’ve discovered – we took her with us to see the incredible 50th aniversary display of Fireworks on the Stray in a baby sling and had an emergency bail out plan for if she didn’t like it but didn’t bat an eye lid. Probably something to do with her being (at least) 5th Generation Gun Dog.

She seems to have got her head round ‘no’ fairly quick and already leaves stuff alone on command – like the very tempting catfood in the kitchen. She’s responding to a recall whistle (which the breeders cleverly instilled by whistling every time she was fed) and she is starting to know her own name.  She’s having little accidents around the place but is doing her business outside when we take her when she wakes up, after eating and after playing.

We are crate training her – she’s got a heartbreaking cry at night but the books say – don’t pander to it – hard work though. It’s very lovely having a pooch around the place. Yesterday we visited my Aunty who’s got a Cocker with a dog phobia (I kid you not). After an initial worried few moments Marnie Moo got very inquisitive (from the safe harbour of her human parents) and by the end of it was daring to run up for a quick sniff!

It really is like having a new baby in the house though – sleepless nights, accidents on the floor. Teething. I thought we had all that behind us!