Vishva and I were married 52 years ago today. The night before. The morning engagement. The registry office. The Hindu ceremony. Vishva sacrificed so much to marry me. For that I am eternally grateful. Our voyage together continues. Who knows when we will reach the far shore?

Who remembers the wonderful novel by Sue Townsend when the monarchy is deprived of its titles and sent to live on a council estate? Maybe Andrew is the first step.

Today’s bake. Autumn vegetable tarts with Panch phoron and watercress pesto.

Happy New Year to all who are celebrating today.

Home made Dhokla for Diwali.

Tonight’s pie. Home made rough puff pastry with a spinach chard and ricotta filling.

An aubergine parmigiana

There was a time when I posted regularly in another place photos of my cooking. But now I only do it occasionally. I was pleased with this one though. A tomato tarte tatin with home made puff pastry.

Tom Lehrer spoke for a generation when he said “political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize.” I wonder what he thought of Trump. As he sang about the threat of nuclear war, “We all go together when we go.”

On a warm evening a broad bean and Lancashire cheese tart.

Time to relax. Have a good weekend everyone

‘I genuinely believed I owe my life to the welfare state.’ A podcast I recorded in which I talk about how my early life influenced my values, my beliefs and my career in social housing. bit.ly/4kMwo6w

Many people were there to make the irrefutable case for investing in social housing at Social Rent, our chair @alisoninman.bsky.social @tomemurtha.bsky.social @simplicitly.bsky.social @stevehilditch.bsky.social @leepage94.bsky.social to name a few www.almos.org.uk/wp-content/u...

As this welcome news of a substantial increase in investment in social housing is announced I think of those people in SHOUT who 10 years ago first made the irrefutable case for social housing when the majority of housing leaders were silent. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It is #SundayMorning once again so here's "Sunday Morning, Farringdon Road" by Cecil Osborne from 1929. Cecil joined the art classes & the Group in that same year &, at the time that he painted this, he was living almost opposite Corporation Buildings: the subject of his view. #CecilOsborne

Our Chair @rohhyde.bsky.social in discussion with @annaclareharper of www.greenresi.com explains why Thinkhouse was created and they talk about some of the great reports on the site and their policy implications. #ukhousing #housingresearch #housingpolicy

Good morning, Tom @tomemurtha.bsky.social & how lovely to see you here & thanks for the "follow". Here's one that I hope you'll like that I've only shown online very rarely in the past. This is "St Luke's Church & Woodbine Cottages" by Albert Turpin from his post-war work, most likely the mid 1950s.

It is #SundayMorning once again so it would be churlish of me not to show this one as usual! This is "Sunday Morning, Farringdon Road" by Cecil Osborne from 1929. It is in the collection at Brighton Museums. #CecilOsborne #EastLondonGroup #FarringdonRoad

Beet Top Tart with Goats Cheese and Walnuts.

Apparently it’s #WorldBakingDay so I’ve been baking. A Wholewheat Loaf. Parmesan Crisp. Asparagus Tart. Sweet Ricotta and Strawberry Pie.

Torta Pasqualina

Asparagus Cannelloni

I am no longer a Catholic and there is much wrong with the Catholic Church. But I have no doubt that Pope Francis was at heart a good man. May he rest in peace.

It does happen very often but #EasterSunday is also my little brother’s @MadHatterMurtha birthday and his silver wedding anniversary. Have a great day in Australia Andrew. Congratulations to you both.

A tart for Easter. Made with fresh farm eggs, new season asparagus and wild garlic from the local wood.

Asparagus and ricotta crepes for Easter

So Trump caves in and claims it as a victory. You couldn’t make it up but the petulant man child does daily.

Early morning train to speak at an event in London. I haven’t done this since before the pandemic.

A free form pie I made for the weekend. Olive oil pastry with a filling of broccoli, asparagus, wild garlic and ricotta.

@cihcymru.bsky.social #CIHTAI25 My favourite conference. I spoke there in 2012 just before I retired. But I had to cut my speech in half as the guy before me wouldn’t stop taking.

Thinking of my Mam on Mothers Day tommurtha.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/t...

13 years ago today I retired from my full time post as Chief Executive of Midland Heart. One part of my life ended and another began. I’ve enjoyed almost every part of my retirement years. I’ve learned new skills and used my old ones in various ways. Pages from my leaving album.

Just amazing. I saw him most recently in November last year and he was spectacular. The Never Ending Tour resumed last night, and it seems as though he’s still in phenomenal form.

Lebanese Moussaka

For those that remember 5 years ago tonight I was posting my first Lockdown #MurthasMenu. It was a beetroot tatin. Tonight it’s a spinach and feta borek with home made filo pastry.

For anyone who thinks it is easy to go through the assessment processes in order to claim what we once knew as social security not benefits. I remember my brother telling me how humiliating and degrading it was for him. I’m ashamed at what Labour is now proposing

I watched the Dylan film last night. As someone who bought his first album in 1965 and see him regularly I was disappointed. Obviously a fiction, the Judas incident took place in Manchester, we learned nothing new. It was mildly entertaining and the songs were well performed but that about all.

A poem for #StPatricksDay . One of my favourites by Ireland’s poet laureate.

I remember when I was young Mam and Dad loved the film The Glenn Miller Story. Not because it was an exact retelling of his life but because it brought back fond memories of the era. The Bob Dylan film, A Complete Unknown, is doing the same today for people of my generation.

We're excited to welcome Tom Murtha to discuss why GEM leaders continue to leave executive roles—and what must change. Despite diversity pledges, systemic barriers persist. Join us on 8 April for a critical conversation on workplace bias, tokenism, and real inclusion. Register: shorturl.at/BgWJ0

I have just completed a research questionnaire for the Chartered Institute of Housing which was fine. Except one of the questions relate to senior leadership and mentions the C Suite. When did that become a thing in UK housing?

I saw Sizwe Banzi Is Dead in Coventry in 1970s. At the end the cast sang Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the anthem of the ANC. The audience rose and sang along. It was so moving. The ANC were regarded as a terrorist group at the time. www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/m...

Probably the moment that awakened my awareness of civil rights 19thnews.org/2025/03/bloo...

Spinach and ricotta crespelle.

@alisoninman.bsky.social @tomemurtha.bsky.social

Good Morning. Breakfast is live BBC Radio 3 Sabine Meyer & her wind ensemble play Dvorak, Nikolai Lugansky finds Rachmaninov reinventing Paganini, Soviet composer Vladimir Peskin writes for trumpet and piano and baritone Henk Neven with songs of Don Quichotte. Come and join us.

I watched #callthemidwife in tears tonight as I remembered when in 1960 my unmarried 16 year old sister was sent to a catholic mother and baby home to have a baby that was to be adopted. At the last minute my parents decided that she could bring the baby home as our sister/neice.

I guess there is always the dark side of the moon released 1st March 1973.

Beetroot Tatin with a rough puff pastry and feta and a wild garlic dressing.

Exactly what I was referring to the other day. A Labour politician worthy of the name who still has some integrity and values. Well done. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...