My Blog?

Back from Spain. Went from Madrid, up to Salamanca and the Duero valley… over to Rioja and then up to Bilbao. Took a flight to Barcelona and hung around Penedes, where Cava, Spanish sparkling wine is produced. Spent the last two days in Madrid shooting the 'first' scene and the 'last' scene.

Got about 12 hours of high-definition digital video. Now we have to work it into four 30-minute episodes. Piece of cake. For me. The director is feeling the pinch though…

Sorry it's been more than a month. Appreciate the patience. Made this joke during the last night in Madrid. After stumbling through several attempts to order a few beers for the boys, the waitress promptly provided me with a plate of olives. Went back to the table, olives in hand, and the punch line went something like: "Madrid is alot like London… the person taking your order doesn't speak English!"

If you got that joke, congratulations, deep inside you are a Londoner.

The day before leaving, was sharing a sweet moment on the street with my two-year old daughter. She was trying to pet a kitten. Got verbally assaulted by a stranger. Threatened to smash my nose and generally beat me to a small whimper mass vaguely resembling a pulp before the cops came. Felt paranoid for the two weeks whilst on set, but my little girl brushed it off. She is a Londoner.

The day of my return, saw a man, drunk off 12 pints of lager, peeing in plain site, in front of a group of otherwise healthy, well-adjusted teenagers… his stream was slapping right on the outside wall of a porta-potty. That porta-potty is a Londoner.

Got an email from an old friend wanting wine advice, my favorite advice to give, on a botte to give as a gift to his father, who is remarrying, and normally doesn't drink. Missed my chance though, for a timely reply, cause of Spain. He wanted a white, not too dry, or a blush… my belated response:

I would have recommended a Reisling (grape) from the Mosel (region) in Germany, flinty and fresh, but not dry... or the more exotic Gruner Vetliner (grape) from anywhere in Austria... look for tell-tale hints of white pepper...

On the blush maybe a Tavel (region) Rose from France... but those tend to be on the dry side... Banrock Station makes a pretty crazy sparkling Shiraz from Australia...