Diary… Chopping cold chips to ‘American Pie’

Each and every action has a song to do it to

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Saturday 29 February, London

>> I’ve only just noticed how much my life is lived to the sound of music.

I exercise to my 60th birthday party playlist.

In the art studio I sync my pen and brush strokes to the beat of the song playing at the time.

And earlier today in the kitchen, I finely chopped up cold leftover chips – to make a potato topping for a mini pot casserole – again to the beat of my birthday playlist.

When ‘American Pie’ came on, it was pure serendipity.

>> Cooking lunch is a real pleasure since my wife got two nifty Le Creuset mini pots as a gift from a friend.

Now I can knock off single-portion soups, stews and pilafs with ease. In the oven, no faff.

Today it was chicken, chorizo and red pepper, with potato topping (see above).

>> Watching the Brighton vs Palace game I got a lightbulb moment about teams in the lower half of the Premier League.

Can I call this “lightbulbing”?

Some of the bottom teams are playing good footie at the moment. West Ham and Norwich don’t look done for yet.

And now Palace and Brighton are playing out of their skins.

Can Watford do likewise later today?

Is this a symptom of the struggle for survival? Or is it, as I prefer, that Liverpool have made it clear that all other teams must raise their game or die?

>> Simon Jenkins believes the only way to heal the divide between the struggling North and the affluent South of Britain is for London to slowly hand back the people and the prosperity it has sucked from the regions.

London must take a hit if Barnsley is to re-find its mojo, he argues in the Guardian, adding that moving Parliament, the seat of government, north for five years would be a great start.

>> At £17.99 for 15, these work out at about £1.20 per 60g bag. Footie food.