Nick Jordan

I’m back at work today after a long weekend in Amsterdam. It’s a really lovely city, which seems to be designed around people rather than, as with so much of London, the car. It was sodding cold but there are plenty of places where you can get a cup of coffee and warm yourself up for a bit and the museums are great. If you haven’t been there, go. You’ll love it.

I find myself going to work very early these days. I find that I enjoy the quiet time in the office when there’s nobody else about and I certainly get a lot done. I’m one of those people who’s at their best early in the day but who flags in the late afternoon, so it really works for me. Besides, if I want to leave a bit early now and again I have no need to feel guilty about doing so.

My mother and nephew are visiting this weekend. Yesterday we went to the London Eye and then took a trip along the Thames to the Tower of London, which was great. The commentary on the boat alone made it worthwhile as the guy was, largely unintentionally, very funny.

I suffer from vertigo rather badly so I didn’t go on the Eye, instead preferring to wander around and take some photographs and then find a pub and have a swift pint, which was very welcome.

All in all, a nice day.

One of the real pleasures of my week is sitting at my computer on a Sunday morning with a cup of tea, listening to Mark Kermode’s film reviews, courtesy of the BBC’s podcasting service. It’s much more than just a bunch of reviews, good though they are, it’s a good half-hour or more of entertainment, often way better than the films under review.

I so want to try Anthony Worrall Thompson’s latest creation. I love food that’s very sweet or very savoury, and a Snickers pie definitely falls into the first category. I’m not surprised at the fuss that some people have made about this, although I think that they should probably get a life and stop trying to run other folks’ lives for them.