Ballet Revolucion!

It's a real shame but tonight is the last performance at the Peacock Theatre of Ballet Revolucion, but it's well worth a mention as they will be back and if you get a chance to see them where you live then grasp it firmly with both hands!

I went along on Tuesday and I can honestly say it is one of the most athletic dance experiences I have ever seen. These Cuban's sure know how to dance, both classical ballet and contemporary with a bit of street thrown in for good measure. It should be really cheesy dancing to music by everyone from Prince to Shakira but the band are so tight and the dancers so utterly superb that you are quite mesmerized for the full two hours.

It's also great to see a dance troupe where the sexes get equal billing. The girls take as much of the centre stage as the boys and are just as important to the whole rhythm and colour of the spectacle.

Purists have said they only come into their own when dancing to Latin beats and it's fair to say that this really is their strength, but the less up tempo and more classic numbers do hold their own and showcase variety which is always a good thing in my book.

Experience a bit here for yourself and as I say grab a ticket if you see them return to the UK. Viva La Revolucion!

My favourite brownie recipe...

I know a Monday morning is not necessarily when you all want to look at a recipe but the Other Half and I went to a Big Lunch gathering at a local park yesterday - well it wasn't at lunchtime but was just organised to get the local community together - and I felt I should bring a contribution. The tennis club which is situated in the park opened their bar (great cheap drinks) and to enter into the spirit I got to baking so I would have something to offer.

So I dug out my favourite brownie recipe which my mother taught me....

You will need
6 eggs
250g plain flour
tablespoon vanilla extract
400g golden caster sugar
375g dark chocolate
375g butter

Melt the chocolate and the butter over a pan of water. Whisk the eggs then add in the sugar and vanilla extract. When the chocolate mixture is cooled slightly add the egg mixture then fold in the flour. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles if you have them - or mix in nuts (one of my teenagers is fussy about nuts so I don't tend to add them).

Cook in a pre-heated to 180 degrees oven for around 30-40 mins. It should have a golden crust on the top and be soft in the middle - it will continue to 'set' as it cools.

Cut into squares and eat!

Voila! fresh from the oven

Now I'd like to say I took it along and passed it around but in all the flurry of getting out of the door suitably dressed for rubbish weather it was left on the cooling rack. So here is a picture of my friend Rachel who was much better organised than me and made a traditional Victoria sponge with cream and fresh fruit - it was heaven!

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and Seinfeld!

All in one weekend!

Friday night saw a trip to the O2 with @BeautyandDirt to see the comedy legend that is Seinfeld. It had been a fairly tortuous ride to get there - both in terms of getting the tickets and physically getting to the O2. @BeautyandDirt had booked the tickets back in December (she's a major fan and Seinfeld does actually follow her on twitter which is uber impressive) only to find, when the tickets didn't arrive, that she had booked them through a dodgy site. Thankfully her credit card company refunded the fee and amazingly she managed to rebook tickets on the same day. Now this wasn't far short of miraculous as the O2 was packed to the rafters with Seinfeld fans who had not been able to see their hero play in London for 12 years. The torture didn't stop there however, as trying to get onto the Jubilee line at Waterloo she was evacuated from the station and had to take the river boat. So it was touch and go as to whether she would make it in time to pick up the tickets from the box office but she did and it was great.

Photo by Angela Lubrano

Jerry - a plea from your British fans - don't leave it so long next time or we'll think it takes you 12 years to write such slick and original material. Warm up man was George Wallace - a huge star and stalwart of Las Vegas but the act everyone was keen to see didn't disappoint. Playing a full 90 minutes without so much as a hesitation (he should so go on Just a Minute) he enthralled us all with his unique take on death, marriage, golf and the role of men in child-rearing. He doesn't look his 57 years (20 years younger to be honest) and although the themes weren't original to have so many people laughing for so long is the sign of a true professional. Here's what BeautyandtheDirt had to say the morning after. If you want to be reminded of how great his comedy is he's posting new clips on his website all the time - check out Jerry Seinfeld here.

Saturday by contrast saw me back into town for the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy. Now I don't claim to know a whole lot about art but I do, as they say, know what I like. And this year there wasn't much that really caught my eye. Most of it you'd either seen before or wasn't particularly well executed. So here are some of the things that caught my eye...

Now this is one I would have bought - had it been for sale. Kenneth Howard paintings are in the £35-45,000 bracket so dream on!

This gallery was bright and uplifting but was about the only one which was...

Why would you pay £90,000 for this? Why?

She's lifesize by the way so you would need a large room....

But it was a beautiful day outside and we still left feeling glad we'd made the effort!