160. My Dog's Paws

I love my dog. Very much. But I particularly love her paws. I love it when they're all blown and hairy and look the size of dinner plates compared to the rest of her. I love watching her walk around on them, taking them for granted even though they're amazing. I love the smell of them (this may be something only other dog owners can appreciate - but I bet they all do). I love it when she lies on her side and stacks her paws up on top of each other, quite carefully - front and back.

I mainly love it when I come in from work or wherever, and she sits back and waves her front paws at me to say hello. We call it the 'two-handed wave'. It's a joy to behold.

159. Adele - Set Fire to the Rain (Live from The Tabernacle, Notting Hill)

158. French & Saunders

Have we had this conversation already? Hang on, I'd better check...

Right.



Knock knock.

Who is it?

It's me, Dawn French, your comedy partner.

Oh. You. Well I can't let you in.

Why not?

I haven't got any bones in my legs.


I didn't like the Comic Strip first time round. I don't know if I was too young, or too square, or what, but it passed me by. Because I didn't watch the Comic Strip I probably wouldn't have thought to watch their first shows on the tellybox - so I think that I first met F&S on Comic Relief. In 1985 Dawn was just cuddly, and Jennifer was a brunette. Dawn was silly and naughty and Jennifer was strict and cross. They did one early live benefit during which Jennifer got the giggles so badly at something Dawn did that they had to stop for a minute. (Tha-thoing, tha-thoing, tha-thoing)

Fast forward to 1991 or so. A dark time in the life of this blogger, but F&S were there to lighten the load a bit. By that time, Dawn was actually spherical and Jennifer was a blonde. They'd started doing their film parodies - Thelma & Louise practically made me swallow my own tongue laughing. Dawn wore a tutu and danced. Jennifer did uncanny impressions. It was all good.

But none of this gets to the heart of the matter, does it? Why do I love French and Saunders as much as I do? And the answer, I'm afraid, is: I'm not sure. I think it's chemical. They make me laugh, I suppose. They made me laugh when otherwise I was mainly crying, and I'm grateful. They told me it was OK to be a girl and be funny (or try to be funny). Sometimes, you can't explain why you love something. But love them I do. And always will.

157. Eggs Benedict

Done properly, Eggs Benedict is a joy and a delight. After all, what's not to like? Muffin? Good. Ham? Good. Poached egg? Good. Hollandaise? Good.

And if the muffin is not sweet and perfectly toasted so it's both soft and crunchy, and if the ham is slightly salty, and if the egg is firm on the outside and runny within, and if the hollandaise is rich, buttery and ever so slightly vinegary - then you have a breakfast for champions.

My current hot tip for great Eggs Benedict is at Samphire in Whitstable, but it's true that The Wolseley and The Ivy both do an excellent one. It is, of course, possible to do it at home - and it can be delicious. But for me Eggs Benedict is one of those dishes that I prefer only to eat as a treat, and if I can have a glass of wine with it, so much the better.

156. Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah should be the real Queen.

She is completely wonderful in every way and I won't hear a word against her.

She looks good (most of the time. Hey, she's a real woman)

She can sing.

She can rap (don't care too much about that, but it's important to note it.)

She can act. (She was Oscar nominated for Chicago, and Beauty Shop is well worth watching.)

She went to the Inauguration, got the chance to meet Obama, and made sure he met her Mum instead.

Feel the love for the Queen. Oh yeah.

155. Vanity Fair's 'My Stuff' column

Until fairly recently, every issue of Vanity Fair came with the 'My Stuff' column, in which a celebrity or other random famous person lists the stuff they like. This is EXACTLY the kind of info I like to know about people, so it's always quite an interesting read. To give you a flavour of it, I have copied out a fairly classic example and, for good measure, added my responses to their responses. This person is married to a famous Hollywood director and had recently published a novel.

HOME
WHERE DO YOU LIVE: New York City and Los Angeles Of course.
FAVORITE ART: A collage of 10,000 tabloid photos my husband for me for my birthday. What? Weird.
SHEETS: Archipelago Never heard of it.
COFFEE MAKER: Small French press with beans from Cafe Grumpy, in Chelsea Does she mean a cafetiere? When will Americans learn about coffee?
STATIONERY: Soolip Bless you
CAR: BMW 650 Whatevs
PETS: Two black cats, Blake and Peanut Acceptable
FAVOURITE FLOWERS: Anything by Suzane Le May Eh? has Mother Nature been fired and I didn't get the memo?
FAVOURITE GADGET: iPhone Sensible woman
FAVOURITE COCKTAIL: Bellini from Harry's Bar Ooh! I've had one of those. Still paying it off...
FAVOURITE DESSERT: Banana-Cream Pie Yuck. Also, isn't a cream pie a porn thing?

BEAUTY PRODUCTS
LIPSTICK: Mocha Fondant by Shu Uemura I've heard of him
MASCARA: Fibrewig That's stupid


Etc. Fun! Nigella Lawson's answers were interesting. They sometimes do New York City socialites and those are my favourites - because these women don't live in the real world. Anyway, "My Stuff' is a laugh.

154. Twitter

Before you get excited - I don't tweet. I am simply a Twitstalker. So today I got messages from Ellen DeGeneres, Dermot O'Leary, the writer of Grey's Anatomy, Queen Latifah (my first one from the Queen, so exciting) and Giles Coren, whose wife has just gone into labour, FYI.

If you choose your subjects carefully and remember that none of it is real, you can have a good time.

153. Owls

I have never come face to face with an owl, but I would like to. I have a general fascination with birds of prey - they're so beautiful, yet so cruel - but there is a special place in my heart for an owl.

AA Milne has a lot to answer for. The Owl in the Hundred Acre Wood was the 'clever' one; he could write - 'Backson. Bisi. Backson' is vintage Owl, and incidentally still the way I spell that note, should I need to leave one.


A few months ago, in the summer, I followed a pair of owls around my friend's woodland. I could hear but not see them. I was a bit tipsy - it was fun.

Herself looks a bit like an owl.

Would I be disappointed if I met a real owl?