We finally went to see Vanity Fair today to hear my appearances as Reese Witherspoon's pianistic stunt double. And a rather good film I thought - she's fantastic - but what were a Boehm clarinet and flute doing in a Brussels ballroom in 1815?! After all the trouble I went to to find them an 1801 Broadwood piano for the 1801 scenes ... . It was nice of them to give me a credit (two actually) in the roller, and I'm very pleased that my suggestion of Haydn's Mermaid Song made it into the final cut. We nearly had Becky Sharp singing the very rude song Watkins Ale (a 17th century euphemism for another fluid altogether), but Mira Nair wasn't quite convinced. Hearing the 1801 Broadwood at cinema volume in Dolby stereo is quite something.

Giving my sister Meg a lift home after babysitting was a great excuse to drop into Delizique for DeCecco pasta, and some sublime Venchi chocolate with absinthe. That they keep the Venchi on the counter beside the cash register is criminal really: a sort of grown-up's version of the confectionery stand at the supermarket checkout.