Wednesday 21st December 2011 (the shortest day: now we career towards Spring)

Ralph Kitto’s international supper tonight, tomorrow Meistersinger (5pm start: ends 10.45). Friday board for the country.

Oh the engagements! How blessed I have been (to use vicar-like words of Harry who won Strictly). I’m going to do a round-up in the style of Jenufa: do you remember her? As in Jenufa’s Diary in Harpic and Queen. In real life she was Mrs Betty Kenward and I once saw her on wheels at Claridges.

But I was in the middle of Ronnie Ronnie at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. He gave a show last week. At the best table at the front, Robert Nevill, Joshua Baring (only 27: youth interest) and myself took three mini-tubes of Pringles (canapés not known at the RVT). Then Ronnie Ronnie, that rare songbird of the Borough, loomed on the stage-lette in a Christmas outfit with Andy Warhol wig.

He is a miracle, going back, back into the low past of Robert Nevill, those Brixton railway-line days, above the male brothel, with the thrice daily burglaries. Now Robert Nevill’s top, top at the Royal Literary Fund and the London Library and Ronnie Ronnie’s got a Bruce-MacBain-designed home.

It was the Blitz with Steve Strange where Ronnie Ronnie was huge, in a duo then with Masha Minx. That was in the 70s.

Now he is supreme solo and gave a thrilling cabaret with highly unusual songs and brilliant banter. Highlights were ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer’ and a new ballad about the late Bernard Matthews: ‘Bernard Matthews had a lot of turkeys/ But his favourite one was Flo..’ So it started lovingly. Sadly by the end, they’d rather fallen out: ‘You dirty crook, you twizzled me.’

Owing to pressure of engagements we were unable to stay to the end but whirled round to Hot Stuff, a Stockwell treasure of Joshua Baring’s (he knows all the restaurants, although only 27). Hot Stuff is actually an Indian, modern décor, a cut above, and highly informal. Our dinner was waiter-selected. Previous diners had strewn large qualities of Christmas debris over the floor in a delightful manner.

I’ve heard also that Caravan in Exmouth Market, in London’s north, is very good – if you’re thinking about diarizing for January, which you should be.

We’ve also got Meryl as Margaret to look forward to: if I don’t go with the Multis I’ll die.

Ronnie Ronnie Evoking Through Hand Gestures Bernard Matthews' Favourite Turkey Bird, Flo