I LOVE this time of year because after the slight lull following the summer things really start to hot up again. I am in my element having just seen Jimmy Keys, to be followed this weekend by Natalie Cole and the World Rugby World Classic. To me this little spurt of activity pure and utter heaven.

I must be the only person in Bermuda never to have seen Jimmy Keys before. This can only be due to my many years away, living in London. The entertainer paid a flying visit to Bermuda last week from his home in Florida because he was so distraught about the devastation caused by Fabian. He wanted to come back to his former, wind-blown stomping ground to cheer us all up.

I think that most of us were desperately in need of a good laugh - and a visit to see Jimmy Keys was about as therapeutic as it gets.

To be able to forget about the woes of the world for a couple of hours is tonic indeed for those of us who are bogged down with rat-smelling tank water and ant-infested kitchens (you must all come over for dinner soon; it's fun round here!) Although quite a few of Jimmy's jokes you have heard before, it makes not a jot of difference. His delivery is impeccable and uniquely his own. After the first ten minutes my sides were already aching and just about to split! I loved the one-liner about the English having devised a Viagra chap stick .. .to be used by men only so that they can retain a stiff upper lip. The other one that got me chuckling was about a wife who was having an affair with her husband's best friend. While they were in the throws of passion one day the husband called on the phone.

The best friend was looking seriously concerned until the wife said: "It's OK he told me that he wouldn't be home for hours as he's playing poker with you!"

Not only are Jimmy's jokes funny but his music - his virtuoso piano playing - is exemplary. He's sort of an odd cross between Chris Rock and Elton John. All those old 1960s and '70s tunes coming up one after the other was almost too much for Mrs. Carr (who has been starved of late of any wild frenetic dancing). Much to my son's dismay, I stood up on a chair swaying and boogey woogying to virtually every little number that came up.

Talking about Somers, this past weekend was a huge milestone in my son's liife. He did in fact get chosen to play on the Bermuda Rugby Team and to go to Boston to play a team from the New England Rugby Football Club, which is quite an accolade for an 18-year-old. It wasn't a cheap little excursion: $500 or so for flight and hotel and then extra cashola for transport, food and entertainment. I insisted that if he really wanted to go that he would have to pay for most of it himself with a little contribution from me.

He has worked hard all summer. So he was able to dip into his savings to pay for his ticket. Naturally there was great excitement and a huge feeling of competitive spirit as the lads set off for what was hoped to be a most memorable weekend. I volunteered to be the cab driver picking up some of the team along the way to the Airport. It was almost like that old joke about how many elephants can you get into a mini because these boys are ginormous and my Mitsubishi station wagon was just about riding on the rims of the tyres. No need for gasoline, this car was running on heavy testosterone fuel all the way to the Swizzle Inn where, needless to say, the tour commenced in true rugby style.

To make a long story short, the team was most abstemious during the next 36 hours and spent their time in rigorous training sessions in preparation for what they hoped would be the defeat of their New England counterparts. Sunday afternoon duly arrived with the lads arriving at the pitch early to start their warm up routine and to release all that pent up energy that accompanies pre-match nerves. Then they waited and they waited and they waited. And guess what? The team never showed up!

Can you believe it, after everything that they had done in preparation for this match not to mention all the expense and travelling involved in getting there. The opposition just couldn't be bothered to come, the reason being apparently that the Boston Red Sox were unexpectedly playing Oakland and obviously the magnetic draw to the television set overpowered any sense of commitment or decency which is synonymous with the game of rugby. What a load of plonkers!

Despite the enormous disappointment and anger that they were feeling the team decided to celebrate anyway.

This happened to such an extent that my son discovered the following morning at 8.30 a.m. that he was the only member of the Bermuda contingent still left in the hotel (in bed of course) and the others were already boarding Delta flight 211 homeward bound. I don't know how they could have missed him but they did.

How the boy managed it I do not know but he grabbed what possessions of his that he could see, shoved them in his bag, and paid a cab driver $30 to get him to the airport in five minutes. The driver managed it in 10 and by this stage the team had noticed that there was no Somers aboard the plane. Luckily Delta was really on the ball and as Somers entered the airport he heard his name being paged.

They must have nearly died when they saw this bedraggled apparition appear but nonetheless, they got him through security and onto the plane arriving to loud cheers from the assembled passengers at approximately 8.56 a.m. Not bad going from bed to plane in 26 minutes flat.

Of course half his possessions are now in the hands of the family of the maid from room 313 at the Holiday Inn. This includes the wonderful digital camera that I had given him to record his gap year (naturally they deny that there was anything left in the room).

I am actually surprised that anyone could possibly have entered the room for at least a day as I would imagine that the fumes emanating from room 313 must have been pretty toxic.

Oh well I suppose that there is a lesson in life to be learned from the Boston experience although I am still wondering what it is! In the meantime here is a great menu, which will stand you in good stead if you are feeding the voracious appetites of a rugby team or just your own brood.

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables and Mustard-Rosemary Sauce

Serves 6

1/3 cup whole grain Dijon mustard, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves, 1 X 7-8 pound roasting chicken (rinsed and giblets removed) 2 large red onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges, 1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces, 1 pound peeled, small carrots, 1 cup chicken broth Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk oil, mustard and rosemary together in a small bowl.

Put the chicken in a roasting tin and brush over thoroughly half the mixture. Roast in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until lovely and brown and nearly falling off the bone. This is the way that I like to cook chicken but if you prefer use a hotter oven and cook for a shorter amount of time.

Brush a baking tray with oil and toss the vegetables in the remaining mustard mixture but reserving 1 tablespoon for the sauce. Cook at 375 degrees for about an hour turning once until they too are golden brown. When cooked remove the chicken from the oven and place on a serving platter. Spoon off any fat from the roasting tin and put the tin on two burners on the stovetop. Whisk in the broth and remaining tablespoon of mustard mixture and allow to boil and reduce to 11/4 cups. Pour over the chicken and arrange the vegetables alongside. Serve with the following mashed potato recipe

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone and Horseradish

Serves 4-6

2 1/2 pounds medium sized baking potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 cloves garlic, crushed, 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 cup mascarpone cheese or sour cream, at room temperature, 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup chopped chives 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons horseradish (optional) salt and freshly ground black pepper Peel the potatoes and cut each one into 6 pieces. Place in a large saucepan along with the salt and cover with cold water. Over a high heat bring the potatoes to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium and allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Drain the potatoes and then to return them to the pan in which they were cooked. In a small pan heat the milk. Mash the potatoes in the pan with a potato masher or a fork until they are nice and smooth. Mash in the garlic, butter, butter, mascarpone, warm milk, horseradish (if using) salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper. You can make this in advance and put into an ovenproof dish covered with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. When ready to use put into a preheated 350- degree oven (removing the plastic wrap and replacing with foil) for 30 minutes. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and put under the broiler until a nice golden brown.