I went with Lucy to the launch party for the Lee Miller show at Tate Brit on September 30. What a show! I could have done with a few more solarizations, but all the top images were there from her Surrealist compositions to Lee sitting in Hitler’s bathtub. Her experiences as a war photographer covering the concentration camps obviously left a permanent scar and she retired from photography. Fortunately, her negatives survived and are in the hands of the Estate who are doing a wonderful job of cataloguing, preserving and exhibiting her work.

We had a bit of a Bailey family get-together on October 17, the before what would have been Rosemary’s birthday. Her sister Jackie came over with sister Caroline who has just moved to London from Manchester to become the Vicar of Dulwich. Here’s Jackie about to throttle me with Caro looking on. It is something of a family tradition: Rosemary’s brother Simon was also a C of E Vicar, and their father was a Baptist minister. 

It was cartoonist Michael Heath’s 90th birthday on October 13th and a celebration was held at Colony-Green in Heddon Street a few days before. Heath looks more like 70 than 90 and remained standing talking while I looked for a seat. Great man. 

Simon and Ginette came to dinner on the 15th, as usual bringing a rather good bottle of wine. Simon and I have something of a tradition of taking lunch at the Academy Club every month or so. All very London. 

The 18th was my son Theo’s birthday, and we went to Hachi on Brewer Street in Soho. You cook your own food and we had so much fun that we were the last ones in the restaurant, still eating as the chairs were being stacked on the tables. They conveniently label the different cuts of meat.

I’ve been spending more time at The Academy Club recently, one of the last remnants of old Soho (though not in fact very old, 1986, though the building itself is 18th century). Here’s Celine modelling her new crown, prior to using it at a performance at City Racing in Shropshire.

At home, Mina proves to be an expert cork stacker. It’s harder than it looks.

Back at the Colony Green, Lucy and Cassie bond over Lily Allen’s new album.