Wednesday 17th February 2016

I’ve been shut down for almost ten days owing to failure to send out dinner invitations. Only very small private engagements have featured after the Kensington Palace Royal frocks. But yesterday I vac-ed the house from top to bottom and threw out so much accumulation. Now feel cleansed as one who underwent colonic irrigation in its heyday must have felt cleansed (who now remembers colonic irrigation?). On Friday Joshua Baring arranged for us to dine at Verdi in Mile End Road. He has his finger on all the latest restaurants, even when absent in New York for months. At last he is back from New York. We were manic with so much to cover: the restaurant Verdi, its maitre d’ who was unusually caring; I had rabbit, Joshua had rabbit with pappadelle, we were mad for rabbit, I had deep-fried pasta (Maitre d’ said, ‘Don’t eat it all if you don’t want… it’s terribly filling.’ But I did and she said, ‘Well done.’). With rabbit in mind, we picked over squid as a menu item and Joshua said, ‘Do try squid in home-cooking.’ He illustrated with phone pic of a squid salad he’d done with olives. Lord Baring is upbeat about the Markets and looking at the old Bloc countries. He should know. He’s only retired from a high Money position this minute. Joshua said America is so boring and mad and they never stop working, while doing nothing. I recalled those yellow teeth I saw outside the Plaza Hotel in 1990 despite the limo they were getting out of and the mink. Diana’s latter-day look – no, said Joshua. Those buttons on the dress in the Testino graphs. Joshua doesn’t like them either. Joshua referred to a Syrian doctor. This season’s menswear is so drab. Joshua’s having his garden planted at Sandringham St Kill. Everything is to go in. When will we visit with Robert Nevil? Joshua mentioned a Guatemalan vet. There was the whole business of the ducal wedding and the taxis and the boyfriends. Further boyfriends have been acquired by others. These boyfriends are looking at project development such as going into scarves. Also they like taxis. Topics were flying way past closing time until we were flung out onto the street by the force of the topics,