the fab four

false smiles ,false heels ,false teeth, everything false even the bonhommie ,its really tells you something when carla looked more relaxed in the queens company whats, wrong with these people - the explanation is simple the incurable disease known as politics

french follies

from this side of the channel we view france with a degree of fascination, sarkozy with his extraordinay vendettas astounds us ,the fact that he seems under thumb of merkle saddens us . but its carla who seems to be at the centre of the french maelstrom .supporting disgraced ministers ,involved in nepotism apparenly swinging sarko left -what a woman. the new josephine rather than marie antionette .however she has encouraged sarko to stress about his height- see jamie cullem if you want a master class on not letting it matter .also she sings in the way that vanessa paradis and stephanie of monaco sang . maybe this is some thing that is lost in translation but francoise hardy she ain't .its something that dimishes her as much as sarko's cuban heels , achieving the reverse of whats intended . what about our leader this side and his mrs dull and deluded and nothing worth mentioning ot looking at for longer than you have to

soup de poisson- the provencal coast in a bowl

soup de poisson is very bouches de rhone and not to be confused with the more voluptuous bouaillbaise ,it is made up of a melange of mediiteranean fish . the recipe for soup de poisson varies from family to family and can cause fueding over whose is the superior recipe,two heads of family in dispute can result something like a family ferria. the best is served between marseille and bandole , further east its likely to be fake, its is usually served in a terrine with smaller bowls, it is accompanied by croutons that are then scraped with garlic , placed in the bowl, the soup is poured over the croutons , then rouille sauce is added. finally a sprinkling of vermicelli and your off- if the character of place rests in its food then soup de poisson is the same having the provencal coast in a bowl . recently in helmand province( british soldiers no matter what spin doctors tell you they are on iron rations }.one soldier requested some poisson soup in a food parcel from home. he then recreated an evening by the sea to an appreciative group who'd never tasted it before , for a monent summer in provence had blotted out the rigours of far way afghanistan

boticelli's nativity

why boticelli,s image because it throws in everything shepherds, angels ,wisemen . there is something modern about boticelli's faces that makes you connect across the centuries and feel a sense of continuity with the comforting thought that nothing really changes

Noël en Provence

Je vous laisse prendre connaissance de ces quelques informations concernant la tradition provençale des treize desserts de Noël:

"A Marseille, au XVIIe siècle, fruits frais, fruits secs et pompes « régalent les gens les deux derniers jours » avant Noël[1]. Dans les années 1820, dans les Bouches-du-Rhône, le « gros souper » de Noël se termine par un « dessert plus ou moins splendide selon l'aisance des familles, qui consiste en gâteaux, fruits secs, confitures, biscuits et sucreries », chataignes et pompes[2]. Avant le XXe siècle, on ne trouve apparemment aucune attestation d'une association des desserts de Noël avec le chiffre treize. Frédéric Mistral, quant à lui, ne cite pas le chiffre treize mais évoque les friandises exquises de la veillée de Noël. En 1885, un chroniqueur note : « Le gros souper n'est plus qu'à l'état de légende »[3]. Au début du XXe siècle, à la suite de Mistral et de son Félibrige, la nostalgie pour les Noëls de jadis est à la mode en Provence. En 1925, dans un numéro spécial de Noël du journal La Pignato, un écrivain d'Aubagne, le docteur Joseph Fallen, écrit à propos des desserts : « Il en faut treize, oui treize, pas plus si vous voulez, mais pas un de moins, notre Seigneur et ses apôtres ! ». L'année suivante, la romancière Marie Gasquet écrit, dans Une enfance provençale, qu'à Noël « il faut treize desserts, treize assiettes de friandises, douze qui versent les produits du pays, du jardin, la treizième beaucoup plus belle, remplie de dattes ». Au début des années 30, le Musée du Terroir marseillais consacre une salle au repas de Noël; la tradition commence à s'installer[4].

Treize, comme le Christ et les douze apôtres. Le prêtre F. Marchetti, en 1683, avait d'ailleurs décrit un usage du souper de Noël marseillais qui consistait à mettre treize pains sur la table : « douze petits qui représentent les douze apôtres, et l'un qu'on appelle le pain de notre Seigneur, beaucoup plus gros que tous les autres ». S’ils sont généralement associés à la Provence et à la tradition de Calèna du Comté de Nice, on retrouve aujourd’hui les treize desserts dans toute l’Occitanie et même en Catalogne. Ils sont parfois encore servis à l’issue du « Gros Souper », repas du réveillon de Noël lui même codifié."

Ce que Noël veut dire.

Cette pensée qui me taraude quotidiennement, celle qui me fait croire que la valeur chrétienne de Noël s'efface dans les consciences au bénéfice de la marchandisation. Non, il ne faut pas oublier la valeur symbolique de cette date. Le don comme signe de la reconnaissance de l'Autre, le don comme identification de l'altérité. Plus littéralement le don de soi.

polar christmas

Christmas in England is a strictly family affair ,friends come next day, boxing day. this is proceeded by christmas evening meal. maybe in a restaurant but usually at home - beouf en daube in daubier with lots of vegetables, is a favourite maybe a crumble pudding, champagne and mulled wine. Christmas day present opening begins at 8 usually scrambled eggs smoked salmon or croissants, for breakfast . afterwards together with neighbors champagne cocktails .the meal doesn't begin until after 3 -clock and the queens television broadcast vive la reine the toast in champagne .the table here is set for 11 the center piece the turkey with stuffing ham and sausages.bacon,then vegetables ,sprouts ,potato etc. this is followed by Christmas pudding brandy poured over and set alight, we usually drink rose wine. later we cut the Christmas cake which contains mixed fruits ,Orange peel, rum etc a Lucky sixpence and is iced with decorations on top ,after that we play cards or monopoly or trivial pursuit or watch a movie on TV thats a typical polar British Christmas

Un peu de soi

A mon tour de montrer un peu de mon âme dévoilé dans le soleil Romain.Voici le lieu que je choisis.

the place especial-petit muegel

special place

carlos casteneda when he was writing about experience and heightened awareness talked of each room having a place of power .a place of tranquility. my place is the petit muegel la coitat. the rocks are pink part of the ancient continent of tyrrehnia, there i feel complete without past or future, existential. its a place where i cant be touched .where iam what i am , it is all about peace tranquility and inspiration , i can forget the past start anew ,the holy of holies -here is a corner where turqoise sea gurgles rhythmically in rocks over hung with pines, find my place and you will find me too

La peau douce de la mémoire de Juillet

A l'heure glaciale du vent devenu fou où mes volets résonnent de ses courses ahurissantes. Je vois dans un recoin de ma mémoire doucement se lever le golfe de Naples encore. Il frappe à la porte. Comment ne pas laisser entrer ce vaste ventre de femme méditerranéenne. Comment ne pas coller le front de ma mémoire contre lui et s'endormir dans le jasmin du souvenir.

a fragrance to remember chanel no.5

chanel and boy capel

chanel- all not as it might appear

Chanel is synonymous haute couture and timeless wearable clothes ,the essence of french chic.among fragrances Chanel no 5 is the most celebrated .raised in the harshness of a convent in the cevennes she learned discipline, arrogance and focus that would make her the most long lasting name in french fashion. a singer,seamstress designer, perfumer, she was friend of everyone from jean Cocteau to Winston Churchill. a collaborator during the war, with a comeback to favour at the age of 70 ,her life was testament to focus drive . her career an ode to, and a substitute for a lost love . boy capel was an English aristo connected to Newcastle in the north of England. lovers for 8 years he asked her to marry him ,set her up in her business, made her independent .she hesitated to say yes, he married another aristo ,then died soon after in a car crash on the way back to Chanel in roquebrunne.finding hecouldnt live without her. his wife married again with 6 months. Chanel described herself as his widow for the rest of her life .the pain of his loss prevented her from marrying the duke of Westminster , a vain attempt to lay the ghost of capel ,lucid till the last moments of her life she insisted that she had ended up lonely with nothing.a nothing that amounted 4 billion legacy ,such was extent of her need to to shut out the lingering anguish of lost love

De l'hiver à la mer

Comme l'été hurle par son absence. Dans la lumière bleue de l'hiver se cache ce désir, aujourd'hui disparu, de fixer la mer incandescente à s'en brûler les yeux. L'hiver est un sommeil, un roi fainéant roulé dans le sang froid du mistral. Alors je pense aux golfes de Naples et de Marseille, incendiés du soleil mourant, aux côtes de Capri magnifiant le regard de Bardot posé sur nous mortels. Je pense et puis j'espère la chaleur qui me parle bas à l'oreille, d'une voix de femme charnelle et arrogante.

landing tuna when it was plentiful

blue fin tuna

blue fiin

once the mdeiteranean teemed with tuna ,in the rue de poilus la coitat each day there was a huge tuna cut fresh for passing trade. not any more. over fishing mainly the spanish have emptied the seas. there is an 18th c painting of la coitat with tuna fishing as a great social event. stocks are now near extinction ,however france has taken up the cause ,restaurants in paris, marseille, and brittany have banned it from the menu .bardot has joined the fight,maybe its too late ,maybe there can be no solution as long as japan despoils the planet with its craving for whale meat, dolphins and tuna, in the name of the god sushi .if they can be shamed into stopping their craving for endagered species ,perhaps they can be persuaded to give up using tropical wood too ,chefs in france have shown a commendable lead despite the fact the might be placing themselves at a disadvantage ,for little or no gain. however what ever happens ,self sacrifice never did the national soul anyharm

c'est ne pas possible

gordon brown has forced sarkozy to cancel a planned visit to london,this is because sarko threatened to cut london finance market down to size doing germanys bidding as usual . beacause he's been snubbed sarko has seen the u'k has excluded from the eu agricultural talks, tit for tat play ground squabbles,no dignity ,no finesse ,bloody hell, what a pair, both countries dreserve better than this

Un écrivain n'est pas "une chose"

L'idée du président français de tranférer le corps d'Albert Camus au Panthéon est une idéé qui, malheureusement, est une terrible métaphore du monde dans le quel nous vivons: la "chosification" des êtres. C'est à dire une valeur objectivement matérielle de l'être, de son nom ou de sa notoriété. L'Homme lui-même, celui qui dans l'intimité de son être décida de reposer en un lieu qui lui appartient, celui-là n'existe pas ou dumoins celui-là n'est pas pris en considération. Le Président commet une confusion: le Panthéon n'est pas une collection de réussites littéraires, le Panthéon n'est pas une boutique des âmes nationales. Il ne perçoit pas que le seul vrai Panthéon est celui des idées intemporelles et sans véritables lieux identifiables. Il n'est pas une "chose" que l'on s'approprie ou non. Pour percevoir cela il faut voir au-delà de la société matérielle et superficielle de la collection de biens, d'objets qui, déposés les uns à côté des autres formeraient la gallerie illusoire de "l'esprit français". Non, ce n'est pas comme cela qu'une âme nationale fonctionne, elle ne s'achète pas, ne se transfère pas car Camus fait déjà partie du Panthéon depuis son cimetière de Lourmarin. Ne pas comprendre cet état de fait est un contre-sens me semble-t-il.

where do you belong what is your nationality

i was raised in newcastle a true geordie, but the place i was raised in doesnt exist any more, i moved south to a small introverted town but i've never felt at home there, im british but i love france, have second home in the south , la coitat ,i feel at home there but its not really my home because i only visit , nationality location im floating free of them all but where does it leave me .absurdism is the only answer

Un peu de chaleur européenne

J'ai dans mon coeur trois pays: celui où je suis né, la France, celui qui m'a "élevé", l'Angleterre et celui dont je me sens le frère, l'Italie. Au fond cela n'a aucune importance car ce que je suis, en définitive, c'est Européen. A mes tempes c'est le sang ancien des berges de méditerranée mêlé aux valeurs chrétiennes. N'y voyez aucune malice de ma part car mon père, lui, est né en Algérie. Mon berceau est celui qui devrait unir fermement les peuples de Grande-bretagne aux peuple de France, de Grèce et de Tchéquie...Si j'étais une femme, je serais forte et bruyante, mon oeil noir et brûlant, je serais la maternité solaire et noire, je serais l'amour tranchant et convulsif, je serais:

paris london

franco phobes,anglo phobes, nonsense that leads me to despair that countries with so much in common should wish to take chunks out of each other. the latest disdain is on two counts, sarkozy refusing to send more troops to afghanistan is seen as a stab ii the back this side of the channel , i hasten to add i'm fervently opposed to the war and feel we have no right to impose our way of life on another nation. now there is new french finance minister for E.U ,he is hell bent on cutting the london finance market down to size, which in this case is short sighted .paris does not have the international out reach or multi culturism of london . to undermine london would give newyork a Free hand to dominate the finance market, which would be bad for the london but even worse for europe .its time these petty wrangles were history they have damaged both countries since the days of the conquest .wake up sarkozy ,you benefit from london too, along with 500,000 french who work there

not always just skin deep -hedy lamarr

austrian hedy lamarr who found fame in the casablanca prototype algiers, was huge hollywood star in 40's .her look so influential that more than one contemporary star imitated her . her beauty tended to over shadow her acting, nor was she over concerned with her career turning down Casablanca gaslight,laura, duel in the sun and saratoga trunk ,largely because being Jewish she devoted herself to the war effort, tirelessly raising money.she also invented a frequency hopping sytemn designed to jam enemy radio signals. this technology led on to gyroscopic elements of rocketry and space exploration and the invention of the mobile phone; she also invented sequential traffic light systems in use in new york .everyone looked at lamarr when they might well have listened. the patent on her invention ran out and she received small recompense even from the U.S government .before she died she was honoured by the electronic frontiers institute in California for her pioneering work . a great movie star, theshe was epitome of hollywood glamour ,but more importantly a world class physicist, to whom we are all indebted

opposites on court

monfils behaves badly on court, is like a circus act with strokes of genius,yet is a credit to metropolitan frenchness with his humour, his flair , gracious in defeat, no disappointment shows ,he seems to realise its only a game - so a big bravo .murray sullen , charisma gland missing ,nationalistic, sour, stomps off when he's beaten ,has voice like robot wears unsuitable kit, whats there to love tell me

murray/monfils why is one loveable the other not

the land of polar

or this

this

albert camus to be or not to be

a political stunt?or reverence

sarkozy is attempting to transfer the remains of Nobel prize winner from lourmarin to a new resting place inside the pantheon in Paris.there to take his place amongst the greats of french culture and literature .raised in Algeria of a pied noir family, he was always anti establishment, whether it was the accepted view of the existential movement or absurdism. he was also adrift of the french intellectual elite when it came to the cause of french settlers in in Algeria by daring to suggest rapprochement was a desirable out come. he was a pacifist but joined the Resistance ,he opposed capital punishment, a one time communist he opposed Russian actions in Hungary and the stance of the french socialism in its subservience to the Russian point of view. albert camus was not a cypher but a real man ,who stood by a mixture of personal views some of them contradictory whether they were acceptably main stream or not . his best known work the plague is memorable for more reasons than i can explain here, its central theme the role of the outsider .for my generation it was his death that was so shocking - greatness snuffed out casually as the result of a last minute decision to travel by car instead of train .now that sarkozy is trailing in the polls a populist gesture is perhaps the reason he wishes to re inter him . though it is strange notion as Camus was so anti authority. he rests where he rests,his family are resisting the move, why indeed would a man who existed within the fortress of his own intellect need establishment aprobation to enhance his greatness .if he is looking down, he is either amused or irritated by this proposal and would probably wish to remain in the south as close as possible to his beloved algerie

the curse of brown

the queens speech contains a long over due statement on flood defences and what happens next day the biggest deluge ever to hit cumbria in a thousand years 5 bridges swept away 100.000 ,000 of damage. so caring granny brown goes on walkabout /photo opportunity, pledges a million goes back to london ,thats 50 years of infra structure neglect sorted then --ps some of the people in carlisle floods arn't back in their homes after two years and havent seen the colour of money yet

football and france a bad week

you begin to wonder if sport is worth the hassel .this week france has suffered doubly because of the beautiful game. algeria wins in the world cup which leads to celebration then chaos, old divisions are opened up rioting ensues in marseille and paris .is any game worth this. then thiery henri does a handball to win over the irish be sure they'll never let it rest, worse still it brought franco phobia out like an plague of of boils. sport is supposed to unite in the uk it also divides the nations ,so whats point the other than exercise, maybe we should all take up thai chi or ballroom dancing

van rumpuy angela's choice perhaps they deserve each other

european union

everything that makes the British sceptics on Europe have been on parade this week. for any one in France wonders why we remain anti then- here's a personal view,the UK firstly is the only country with 1000 years of not being overrun we also have more importantly a history of democracy stretching back 300 years its first seeds sown in the 12th century .Germany's and Italy's democracy began 1945,Spain in the 50's like wise Portugal apart from the Benelux and Scandinavia which were occupied In the war the rest cannot look back beyond 1989 France only goes back to 1870 therefore it is in the British spirit to resent unelected presidents commissioners making decisions, the president of the European commission should have been chosen by the European parliament , as it it appears the European engineis driven German attitude tidyness and beaurocratic order and that disturbs us. debate and questioning is our life blood compromise our national characteristic. the british people currently emasculated by an unelected pm would have had referendum on the lisbon treaty and it would never have been ratified. as long as a German agenda is supported by France for reasons that entirely escape me, the UK will never join whole hearted in Europe .this doesn't mean we are wedded to the u.s far from it ,but we do have world experience and a view the rest of Europe hasnt avialable.i am a europhile i love France almost as much as the uk but i love the accountability of politicians even more .its time for democratisation,inspiration, we as peoples are not here at the convenience of merkel etc .i would love to see a Europe united in common aims but these aims must be decided on democratically, not set up by nations whose veneer of real democracy is thinner than they would have us believe .the trait amongst beaurocrats in Brussels to pursue the answer they want until thy get it,this promises a bleak future ,unless you never understood or cared about the democratic principle in the first place

michele morgan elegance different

Michele Morgan little known outside France was nevertheless revered in British art houses for her transcendental coolness ,the star of 53 films she presented a glacial reserve and air of sophistication seldom associated with blonds out side the work of Hitchcock, apart from being second choice for Casablanca after Hedy Lamarr , Hedy wouldn't and Bergman was cheaper ,her stay in Hollywood during the war showed collective lack of imagination, she is best remembered in England for her appearance in the fallen idol. among french actresses she is a collectors piece this side of the channel but no less illustrious for that still beautiful at 89 she is a lesson in elegance and class that are increasingly rare attributes these days

robert pattinson/edward cullen

robert pattinson a male greta garbo, a cinematic face that the audience can write its own aspirations onto. a cross between,gerard phillipe and louis garrel he has brought the intensity of british style to hollywood and has the intelligence to make the most ordinary garrments look elegant,or the most ordinary line of dialogue meaningful- his latest inncarnation new moon is released this week

L'élégance éternelle et incarnée

Comme un symbole, Peter Ibbetson qui s'extrait du monde réel vers le monde du rêve. Le résistant, c'est lui. Rares sont les Peter d'aujourd'hui. Plus nombreuses désormais les masses humaines, dans les centres commerciaux, hypnotisées et creuses de l'intérieur.

Elegant au soleil

Puisque tel est notre propos, contre la vulagrité révélée, voici quelques éléments d'élégance intemporelle. Tout d'abord Mistral

carla the ultimate distraction

madame de gualle quiet asset

mrsbrown distraction more than quiet asset

this is what it used to be like mrs churchill on the right

vulgarity on this side of the channel too

the prime ministers wife sums up everything that is debatable in British society .she pretends to be free woman but abases herself for her husband, she has time to twitter endlessly, then pretend to be fashion icon. a waste of her time and money, she is reticent but makes political speeches and then dresses like starlet after cheap publicity ,what happened to decorum dignity reserve things we were once renowned for a country gets the government it deserves well we never asked for a so called first lady ,we have the queen for that. and as for our pm its about time he tried to get himself elected. all of this makes you long for the good old days of mrs churchill and yvonne de gaulle who when they made an appearance you felt it was for a good cause other than their own

stadium at bercy paris

masters at bercy

why is tennis such a great game-its because of the one to one psychology ,the personal responsiblity,its about temprement ,will and strength. the final at bercy in paris was exemplary djokovic versus monfils ,the game going to a tie break with a narrow win for the serb at the last moment despite the charismatic mon fils and a partisan crowd. tennis at its best .a word about the venue inside a pyramid covered in grass how on earth do they cut it simple really ,a machine that cuts slopes and attached to the frame of the pyramid only the parisians would go to such trouble

Vulgaire est mon époque

Quelques pensées peu enthousiasmantes (au sens littéral, c'est à dire des pensées loin d'une idée de Dieu ou de transcendance), ces idées viennent d'elles mêmes lorsque mon regard se pose sur le coeur du triste monde médiatique, politique ou social. Oui je le pense: mon époque est vulgaire. Cela tant au niveau du comportement lui-même, du langage, de la manière d'être mais aussi et surtout vulgaire "mentalement". Un monde, une société soumise à l'emprise de l'instantanéité, du superficiel, du mercantile. Le bon peuple de France n'est plus révolutionnaire, ce n'est pas ce que je lui demande, mais au moins devrait-il être révolté. Même les peurs ont perdu leur subvertion, le fléau médiatico-politique du virus H1N1 ridiculise toute la nation, le gouvernement complice des médias a crée un monstre lexical bien plus que réel, un tour de passe-passe substituant les inquiétudes compréhensibles des difficultés quotidiennes à un "fantasme", un "fantôme" médical. Cela est vulgaire et d'une grande laideur dans la manipulation des peurs. Comment se hisser vers le "Haut", vers l'espoir ? Alors même que chaque jour le citoyen français se réveille baigné dans les turpitudes de son quotidien auxquelles on ajoute des angoisses crées de toutes pièces. Quelle hideuse proposition de vie...Alors ne reste-t-il pas comme vraie résistance celle de l'élégance des idées ou au pire celle de l'ironie.
Cela me rappelle le texte suivant, à méditer:



Celui qui a dit
Que « le dandysme est un état
De guerre »
Il a ainsi lâché aux visages
Uns et innombrables
Les logorrhées d’incandescence
Du désir sans vous autres
Logorrhées salvatrices n’est-ce pas ?
Oscar
Marcel
Beau
Jules
Des Esseintes
Barbey
Où en sont vos ailes d’explosifs ?

delicious

when in france when and you visit a restaurant look out for the following brandade a fish dish to be found in nimes the restaurant on top of the carre d'art does an excellent local salad and has great views thrown in gratis . beouf en daube all you need is camargue bull for an authentic taste and then an experienced a taster. it takes two days to make ,the marinade 24 hours it tastes better on the second day after the first serving . come think of its impossible to know what your getting in a restaurant ,the home version is always best ,so make a french friend. soup de poisson you can buy it in jars ,restaurants interpretation varies ,its served with croutons, rouille ,garlic and parmisan cheese on top. the best any where was le'encas in la coitat. the chef notorious for a hilarious hair piece is alas retired .the search to replace him continues .avoid the rick stein version anglicised and horrible .iles flottant are a a sort of meringue floating in creme anglaise, no one seems to get this one wrong .they serve it at the daurade in marseille the home of superalive fish dishes and at the restaurant of the corsican bothers on sea front at st jean la la ciotat, though the general standard in france has declined there are pockets where sublime tastes lurk like endangered species experience them soon before american juggernaut conquers all no not- enjoy - rather bon apetit

autumn

in england many bright colours in the landscape problems with europe could it be we have a 1000 years of independence and almost 300years of modern democracy when most countries other than the sandinavions and france a junior joining the democratic club in 1870 dont quite know what its about. gordon meanwhile is trying to train up a drug ridden police force and raddled army who will serve a corrupt regime in afghanistan the hope it will protect the streets of britain when will politicians learn to say got it wrong ,while they grapple with heir lack of maturity and self confidence politicians poeple are dying

up dates

jean sarkozy will not be the head of la defense he has backed down and will have a seat on the board instead the ambitious boy is poised for a take over sooner or later .de villpaine awaits his verdict No tumbrel but a 18 month suspended sentence .carla bruni is branded the new marie antionette by a reporter things never change .the french queen was vilified by the journal le pere duchesne. she was the first media victim. the concerened journalist followed her to the guillotine and died badly unlike the queen who was courageous to the end. carlas crimes she is out of touch ,extravagant ,and foreign .we've heard this some where before and so much for European integration .lets hope the reporter has more luck with keeping his head on his shoulders than he has with restraining his prejudices

not the first

it was stated last week that chirac is the first french ex head of state to face a trial not true, his predecessor louis 16th faced the same process and we know how that turned out in stead of cake chirac spent 700,000 euros on lettuce.

crazy politics

in the uk we have an unelected prime minister who signed the lisbon treaty without having a refrendum, who will now vote for an unelected president of the european union- sign me up for the revolution i'm ready

provence at the movies

representing provence on film seems to be done better by the french than by the anglos, i feel the anglo filmmakers are like kids at a sweet shop they don't know what to choose and miss out on the best .though i do have a theory the locals don't share the best with outsiders. for any one wanting to penetrate provence they could do worse than see jean de florette and manon de source,and the gloire de mon pere , the latter is focused on the early life of author and film director pagnol. gloire filmed on the plateau above the masif de garlaban is a must to see as it captures the essence of the country sides especially its more ferocious aspects .then there is the marseille trilogy again by pagnol, and the powerful hussar su la toit, set in cholera ridden countryside and inspired by the work of giono whose writings focus on the harsh realities of life in land and mountainous provence. with a certain sense of guilt i also enjoyed the joshua logan take on the marseille trilogy fanny. filmed in Marseilles by an American company it really caught the whiff of the waterfront. though the casting of septegangrian maurice chavalier as rival of 4o years younger and very handsome horst bucholz stretched credibility some what.to be avoided the BBC series a year in provence the leads were the toally charmless lindsay duncan and john thaw ,it failed to tick any of the necessary boxes and was rightfully a complete disaster read .to cap it all a good year aridely scott movie lumbered with his fatal attraction russel crowe and marian cotlliard rolled out the cliches- proving that neither were really starry enough to truimph over a terrible script . don't film what you don't know about is the axiom that has been ignored here. there are three versions of the count of monte christo. i never pass the ans de catalans without thinking edmund dantes and Mercedes. there is robert donat version 1936 which is a worthy attempt, the gerard depardiueu version the right side of ok and filmed around la coitat. the jim cavziel latest attempt is too sadistic and hampered by weak performances and a total lack of charm .if there are any more titles to add to these let us know provence should be a more fruitful source than it is .it is quite amazing so few movies have really captured the essence of this cold land with a hot sun

la lumière bleue de l'Hiver

L'automne ouvre ses portes mais on sent dans l'air venir sur nous le fleuve froid des mois d'Hiver. Le mistral y est pour quelque chose, la pluie automnale aussi. Un je ne sais quoi nostalgique montre le corps mort de l'été, et tous nous l'attendons ressuscité dans plusieurs mois. Il vaut mieux désormais louer l'humidité, lui rendre presqu'hommage car elle sera notre compagne pour bien des traversées quotidiennes.


"Observe lentement
Là tout bas
La bleuissante
Lumière d’hiver
Disons hiver comme son prénom
S’il s’agissait d’un cavalier étêté
De lumière son grand corps carapacé
Le voilà fracassé le long des demeures
Du boulevard
Et de son cou tout azuré presque blanc
Coule à grand flot les sonores blafardes
Flottant alors dans l’air brutal
Les rémanences désarmées
Qui suivant sans luire
Au matin permanent"

mistral

mistral is many things in provence - a searching wind that comes from the north down the rhone valley to fan out between montpelier and frejus .in the summer it is sometimes a relief from the heat. in the winter it brings cold weather makes the pines used as protection bend and sway. it makes a special roaring sound that is unmistsakable. just like a giants breath. once upon a time in provence any one who comitted a murder during a mistral was considered to have dimished responsiblity. this is a wind that rattles shutters ,sends plant pots and tiles flying, it pentrates houses with its searching fingers ,and drives the faint hearted to live else where. but it is also the soul of provence and the name taken by one of provences greatest poets frederic mistral .there are statues to him every where as he revived the provencal language with his fellow poets the brotherhood of the felibrige .together they preserved provence's identity without resorting to politics. the renaissance provencal also included ceramics and literatute. it oversaw the development of the marseille school of painting ,cezanne, and it lured van gogh and gaugin south ., the mistral maybe a trial but has also made the people of provence what they are ,tough ,humerous, loyal. provence is a cold country with a hot sun ,a calm place with fierce wind .the mistral is a torment it is also part of the provencal soul. for me the mistral is represented by the blueness of the sky ,the firece eye of heaven, sea turning the colour of crushed purple grapes and time when the maniacs light fires . there are no half measures during a mistral. many authors have described it everyone form colette to pagnol and guino , pagnol descibed it thus--------------------------------------------------------------------.un petit mistral est ne dans le nuit.il ne fait pas beaucoup de bruit,les feuilles frissonnent a peine.on dirait qu'il ne sert a rien,qu'a fair briller les etoiles- et puis tout a coup,quand l'aube se leve il pousse un grand cri de sauvage,et commence a chasseur des troupeaux de chenes - -there is an excellent anthology of the mistral by bernard mondon and steffen lipp published by equinoxe and available on amazon with illustrations ,information and poems in fact everything you need to know

education and the lack of it

it seems an eton education carries the stigma of elitism and being out of touch. we have a home secretary alan johnson who has no O levels in fact no qualifications at all, other than that he climbed the greasy poll that is the trade union movement, the land of dopped H,s and no tenses .his display on question time was the worst sort of egalitarian phoney performance it was possible to see. he made snide asides at his tory and lib dem counterparts , until it was revealed by the chairman of the show he claimed more for food 200 per month than either of the others , which of course closed his mouth temporarily at least. then came aFghanistan with no historical studies he is therefore like A parrot, a talking head ,repeating what the party line tells him to . firstly there have been 4 failed wars in afghanistan and the nonsense its keeping our streets safer is belied by the way the ira freely picked out tragets on the mainland . and as usual this government cant add up 230 of our uk citizens are dead in afghanistan 52 in the uk. this drip drip of casualties doesnt add up to any one but the vaucus politicians like johnson who dont care a damn about the armed forces .i make no apologies for despising someone who didnt bother to get an education but aspires to high office .he had difficult life when he was young, well so did a lot of other people where i came from and they saw education as their salvation . education versus crawling through trade unuion corridors i know which one id settle for and respect

sarkos follies

jean arkozy 23 is being proposed as the new director of the financial heart of paris la defense which is currently running a 200 millon deficit , the cry of nepotism disgrace rings thoughout the land .taller by 10 inches and better looking than his father he is the second son of his first marriage .the president supports his son it is said ,out of a sense of guilt rather than enthusiasm. guilt over the collapse of his first marriage, the result of betrayal by his wifes best friend celine who ran off with sarko .celine went on to dump sarko publically thinking she'd scored some sort of victory until chanteuse cara bruni came along to best her. zut alors !ambitious sons , jealous wives ,revenge, passion ,guilt ,sex, nepotism ,you couldn't make it up the only hope is jean sarko at 23 hasn't yet been corrupted by power, sex and money and will be a can do in a world of negativity .when they make the film casting will be interesting. sarko juinor was seated next to louis garrel at a recent fashion show in paris perhaps casting talks are already in progess

whats happening

in england , were about to sell off national assets to raise money to support the brown government its main supporters fantaical kama khazi champagne socialists who dont mind what they sell off to stay in power, the channel tunnel,the national tote what next nelsons column the national gallery,the white cliffs of dover stone henge piece by piece , vera lynn ,keira knightly where does this stop,when you start digging the ground from uder your feet .not since the war have we had to even think of this. everyone knows that once the family silver is gone whats next. i for one will fight any attempt to flog off our national heritage to the highest bidder

big mac

the news that the icon of french culture the louvre is to be invaded by the macdonalds is being viewed with alarm in france , and so it should be. this is a sign of capitulation before the american cultural juggernaut .french cooking that gave us everything from escoffier to novelle cuisine is being beaten down by the big mac. bistros and restaurants are closing by the score the general standard of food has plummeted as establishments try to keep pace with americanisation . france has a greater up take of macdonalds than any other country outside the u.s.in england the resurgence of cooking has beaten this back -in bristol you can eat at half the price of a french equivalent in least six good restaurants likewise in london. the effect in france is more than cultural , an an increase in body size is suddenly apparent. the mac is part of an alien culture ,no knives and forks required ,no finesse and 540n calories per burger .food taken on the hoof means, no converstion no relaxation, no flirtation, everything the french meal is about ,is going to be lost and for what, .wake up france strike back before its too late

Le corps lumineux de ma Dame

La théâtralité de la féminité représentée dans le mouvement préraphaélite n'est pas une caricature du désir mais bien le fondement du rapport entre la nature et la culture. Un point évident et sublime. Cela mérite hommage ironique.



"Pastiche

Surgissant d’infortunes
Ô ma belle et sombre
Voilà de ta bouche s’iriser
Des brassées d’aubépines
De laurier de blanches roses
C’est ainsi que nous visitons
Les jachères désormais cultivées
Dans le vent qui punit tu as
Jeté l’ambitieuse palabre de ton
Corps de tes cheveux à droite
Lentement le poison des rivières
vaniteux"

preconceptions

preconceived ideas dont emerge from nowhere ,as far as american culture is concerned i have plenty . the country that gave us macdonalds ,starbucks ,the obesity crisis ,president bush , are the worlds greatest polluters per head of population and who assume they can have whatever they want whenever they want it, dont exactly elicit love. ive also loathed the dumbing down of childhood classics too, the jungle book, peter pan ,robin hood, cinderella , even notre dame de paris via disney .so i watched jonathan woss reluctantly ,i never watch wossy unless its someone i want so see . on friday it was another no no for me ,the so identifiably show biz U.S, barbra striesand . i had a hard day was too tired to resist and what did i see, a very laid back lady ,giving a masterly rendition of jacques brel's ne me quitte pas, partly sung in french . it was one of the best interpretations ive ever heard of this timeless song this side of scott walker and the great man himself . had i let my prejudices warn me off ,i would have missed a demonstration of the fact that a great song and a fine rendition can go to prove that real art can and does and triumph over any prejudice, any preconception -even mine

bravo rio

bravo rio di janiero for snatching away the olympics from chicago. its been a bad week for the international wags, sarah brown giving away too much detail about her husband at the labour party conference and michele obama too emotional and actressy at the olympic bid in denmark. we also support marseille in its bid for city of culture and suggest should france decide to bid again that marseille would be a winning alternative to paris

using the media

in france the devillepin trial continues,who said what, who forged what in contention,de villepin is damaged but so is sarkozy, france needs government by adults not quarreling schoolboys .in england we have gordon brown annoyed that questions of his health are raised ,yet his wife arrives at conference to reveal that he is noisy messy and also by the sound of it an obsessive with a one track mind.once again this is a politician who wants it both ways ,press releases that suit him and a ban on those that don't .his bullying performances with interviewers this Week shows a lack of maturity and instability in a man who is supposed to show an example .there has been so much spin that no one believes anything anymore. the last ten years of politics has seen the manipulation of the media grow the disinterest of t voters shows mr brown and the rest of his self serving crew that we are not fools

Un oasis dans le désert de la chanson française

Jean-Louis Murat creuse le sol profond et en extrait une immense poésie charnelle et tellurique. Avec toute ma subjectivité j'affirme tout de même qu'il est, à ce jour, l'auteur-interprète le plus talentueux de France. Là où prolifère le benêt politique qui clame (chante ?) avec fierté le vide de ses opinions systématiquement "engagées", Murat, lui, touche l'universel au coeur. Merci, Monsieur, de me (nous) réconcilier avec ma (notre) langue chantée.

Art, armes et armure(s)

Champ de bataille



I.
C’est voir dans l’à l’envers des choses
Le grand soleil mourant qui murmure nos noms
Ô se recouvrir l’ensemble du corps espéré
D’un doux amuïssement des sens
Se fermer à jamais s’endormir dans l’épais
Champ de blés noirs et pesants

II.
C’est voir dans l’à l’envers des choses
Le grand éblouissement des mots en flamme
Qui se tordent avant de choir
En cendre
(Ô comme l’enfance à l’insecte
Arracher des signifiances aux corps du langage
Et les offrir à la charge des fantassins.)

cher brigitte bardot

felicitations pour votre anniversire.B.B demande a sophia loren la meme age de donner un petit cadeau-de ne plus porter de la ferrunne,j'espere que sophia donnera ce petit cadeau a brigitte

globe theatre

globe theatre south bank

the globe is an open air attempt to re-create an Elizabethan theatre. the current production of Shakespeare's loves labours lost is lively and intense.it has a young cast and is one of Shakespeare's most complex plays with an open ended finale that leaves everything in abeyance .the costumes and presentation work well, and the auditorium is compact some of the spectators are standing in front of a stage that dominates the whole building .however make sure you get seated on the lowest deck the top Deck isn't too good for anyone with hearing difficulties ,not me as it happens ,also some of the action can be obscured by the the angle of the building maybe mikeing the performers would help. purists would say that's not Elizabethan but neither are the low lying air craft that often drown out the dialogue.the court Yard out side is interesting as it is made up slabs that note the names of donors to the building -look you'll find names from ex prime minsters to Marlene Dietrich. to be avoided however the theatre bar inside the adjacent building ruinously expensive £25 for what looked like 4 half glasses of rose and pomegranate juice. also the seats were uncomfortable like the ones in the globe itself except there's an excuse there as it supposed to be elizabethan and youcan hire a cushion. adjacent is the Tate modern the most visited modern art building in the world and there are terrific views of st Paul's the city and the totally uninspiring millennium bridge spanning the Thames .any one on the tourist trail from France must not miss this example of English theatre at its best and also most eccentric

beyond politics

perhaps we are beyond politics and politicians, maybe we need a new system where honesty and real democratic pragmatism exists, a political camelot instead what have we got. in france sarkozy and de villepin are struggling like two school boys as the raft goes over niagra. with a war raging in afghanistan what is sad gordon brown worried about not lack of helicopters, bad body armour not likely , its does obama love me , if he has any sense no, you just ain't lovable gordie, a man who thinks its ok to hug bono has a serious problem,in times of crisis what is harriet harperson proposing a tax on pole dancers ,and baroness scotland is hung by her own petard but who goes no the mouthy lady herself ,but the poor old immigrant cleaner ,is it any wonder no one wants to vote and now nick clegg thinks he's going to be prime minister well ole to you too , in both countries we deserve better than this pathetic bunch of self obsessed no hopers

What life should be

"Immobile sous

Immobile sous un arbre en fleur
Dans le ciel à travers qui bleuit
Silencieux l’on attend le désir
Moissonnant
Immobiles sous un arbre en fleur
Tes cheveux sur ton dos dénudé
De sommeil lumières du soir
Dans nos corps assoupis
Immobiles sous un arbre en fleur"

Bagarre dans la cour de récré

Je pense à mon pays et je me dis que face aux tourments qui l'assaillent aujourd'hui une représentation politique forte est nécessaire pas une jalousie de cour de récréation en haute définition médiatique.Le résultat sera quoiqu'il advienne désastreux pour l'image politique et peut-être même démocratique de la France. C'est, je crois, une balle dans le pied de chaque citoyen.

happenings in france

1 de villepin goes on trial,sarkozy's revenge peut etre on a man who is taller better looking and apparently intellectual and an expert on napoleon, perhaps this will give him insight into pyschology of small men .onimously this aristo is being tried in the court where marie antionette faced her accusers.as we this side of the channel haven't clue what this is all about there is an added fascination.in the south apparently the summer has vanished already,i cant believe the time to eat out side is over,the great electrical storm of the 27th august was the signal that summer was ending .alas now all i have is my sketch books and my photos as i try to invoke the south on canvas, to add to the gloom the pound is now equal to the euro making the excuse for a foray to calaise to shop and dip a toe into french culture no longer valid.

Colours of the streets at night

Rouge est le bruit dans la nuit

Hier dans la nuit profonde et sonore de la féria des Vendanges de Nîmes, je me suis souvenu de ce texte un peu usé. Car le bruit est rouge sang et la lumière douce.

Comme un grand cercle de soleil
Égal à ton regard sur moi lorsque
Vient le soir mourant
Une traversée dans les dunes

Sur les cimes de la foule on voit
Un périmètre de pierre large au moins
D’un mètre n’y cours pas mon Amour
Tu tomberais du ciel
Te prends-tu pour un fruit ?

Immobile dans la blessure sonore

art tourism

one of the curses of galleries is the art tourist .someone who has been told by a guidebook to go look at something mainly because it is the thing to say that you've seen it- . a profound example of this is the mona lisa in the louvre .both of the solar polar partnership at different times have reacted the same way when viewing this quite small painting.the imbalance of the back ground the ambiguity and the super celebrity satus of the artist give it fame beyond fame. there is huge jostle no space to really look- understand contemplate. the main compulsion is to say youve seen it. in the same room is the colossal painting the marriage at cana by Veronese .hardly anyone looks at it yet this is a technical achievement of titanic proportions .life size figures each one minutely observed both physically psychologically fill a huge canvas giving it great vigour. yet its largely ignored in the furore. the only way to really appreciate art is to pause before the pictures that speak to you ,not all will ,but some of the ones that do wont be the most famous pictures .for me and solar , the marriage at cana is the more interesting of the two. mona lisa is an enigma the marriage has the stuff of life within it . next time your in the louvre by all means view the mona lisa ,but at he same time give pause before the marriage painting or any others that may whisper something the more noisy famous paintings don't get a chance to.

lifts without real elevation

why do our politicians feel their appearance matters as much as their policies.sarkozy obsessed with his lack of stature wears cuban heels,(lifts,) stands on a box to deliver speeches and then surrounds himself with small people. would anyone have thought twice about his size if he hadn't drawn attention to it . is it a coincidence that the tall patrician de villepin is facing a trial and its not possible that height envy might have some thing to do with it .then we have gordon brown his teeth fixed to produce the worst smile in the world plus the curious changes in his figure. one minute all heaved up like butch the bulldog, next moment a sack of potatoes, there is some thing mysterious going here and its probably known as body shaper or corset to me and you. the antithesis of this nonsense was winston churchill bald, over weight, small, did he care -not at all. force of personality , policies and the ability to deliver them is all that counts. unfortunately nothing has been learned from history by this vainglorious pair

chirac's greatest sin

chirac's new biography may have to face delayed publication because there is a picture of him smoking on the cover which could contravene french anti smoking laws. if this is his greatest sin then this book is going to be a dull read .there is a suggestion he is being picked on by his enemies , as posters of audrey tautou smoking in bed (shocking) were displayed on the posters for the chanel movie everywhere .maybe its easier in france to get away with things if your young and beautiful rather than a grizzled burnt out politician

bardot at 74

il y a actuellement a londres un grande exposition sur brigitte bardot le grande vedette de cinema francais.il s'agit d'une collection de photos concernant sa vie privee egalment sa vie d'artiste. cette exposition temoigne du fait que bardot s'inscrit dans un style au naturel radiclement oppose au style a 'l americaine dont les emblemes artificiels les plus evidents sont la chirurgie esthetique et les brushings aeriens.en angleterre bardot est un icone une legende extraordinaire car elle meme un vie simple et naturel.cette exposition salu en ce sens davantage une personne humaine, que une vedette

bardot at 74 unretouched regretting rien

A l'heure d'automne, gloire presque morte au soleil

Soleil
Poignard des moissons

Tu as grandi
Le regard du ciel

Pourquoi te devine-t-on
Davantage dans le volet
Abaissé qu’en te fixant ?

Vois: te voilà par énergie
L’égal de la poésie

dominique de villepin

contest of the ridiculous

i don't think it could happen in angleterre ,sarkozy is-- after the blood aristocratic ex prime minister de villepin his response is to call sarkosy a dwarf.ex presidents, ex wives etc are being dragged in to this,why because sarkozy feels he had dirty tricks played on him in the last election - but isn't that what politicians do. this spectacle will amuse if not enlighten,how it shapes up is going to be fascinating

the calanques

when i arrived in france this summer ,i expected to find the calanques heaving with discontent at he proposal to make it a national park.it all seemed very peaceful and normal with no sign in the press or the firebrand lady leading the opposition .no one seemed to have heard anything and there was me preparing to march. as was pointed out if the national park prohibits the spread of the scourge that is pizza and irish pubs it can be no bad thing.this seems to have been an invention of the silly season ,like the article that appeared about apt. a den of thieves and gangsters congregating around a cafe where every type of deal from drugs to white slavery was being done.the gangsters always drove cars with the dreaded number thirteen number plate.the cafe concerned is a decent Establishment last time i was there two old men and granny were having a drink and the 13 number plate is the one that signals bouches du rhone. reporters get bored in the summer and i should have learned by now not to believe everything i read

Une Grippe fort opportune,

Je méprise la modernité. Un long cortège de vie sous plastique, une négation de la mort, de la maladie et inversement une avidité pour le morbide. Les médias et les gouvernements ont trouvé le marteau pour enfoncer la peur des nouveaux temps: ce marteau, c'est la grippe A. Et soudainement le mot crise, lui-même habilement et théâtralement utilisé, a disparu, volatilisé, démembré, en pièces. Voilà maintenant le spectacle médiatique a une nouvelle tête d'affiche, brandissant la peur de chacun, au pas ne nos portes, tremble citoyen, ton avenir incertain, ton virus potentiel, ton vaccin salvateur, non, ton vaccin peut-être dangereux, une litanie d'informations se niant les unes les autres, se noyant réciproquement dans le délire incandescent d'une société hystérique. Alors voilà, je préfère afficher mon mépris de tout cela, mais ausi ma peur car le vrai virus c'est l'information qui a muté en spectacle. Honte à cela !

worse still

farrell the reporter this deadly debacle was probably travelling on an Irish passport but relied on the british to rescue him, worse still he was told by the afghan police not to go where he went then, he was told by an elder to get out as the taliban were coming ,he ignored both warnings got captured and 4people died. all this so he can get a lousy story ,the sickness in this is press defending him and then gordon brown dodging responsibility for a rescue that went wrong by dumping on poor bob ainsworth and milliband, even more sinister as it is an attempt to discredit a potential rival .anyone who believes brown is competent or is running this country for anything but his own benefit needs\a reality check

deadly reporting

twice the same reporter has got himself captured by enemy forces, once in iraq once aghanistan .incompetent, or stupid,stupid and selfish i'd say .this time a soldier several civilians and his afghan colleague are dead in freeing him .is any story worth this, such thoughtlessness is inexcusable -next time let him stay put

duplicity thy clour is brown

the british army under equipped under manned ,is sent to afghanistan to keep terror from our streets, i quote our unelected pm yet,at the same time in order not to upset libya the supplier of semtex to the ira ,he refuses to back injury claimants in the uk, therefore libyan terrorists and the ira are ok ,but the taliban etc are not .nor does the argument that terror is kept off the streets by a military presence hold water ,it is home grown and a military presence will be no more effective than it was in in northern ireland. remember, guilford ,birminghanm ,canary wharf etc . bob ainsworth brown appointee, is scarcely adequate, i make no apologies for despising someone with no education, who crawls his way to the top through trade union committee's. this whole debacle is scandal and is typical of someone who wants a job ,i mean brown ,and hasn't a clue what to do with it when he gets it . his performance is rotting away the soul of the socialist movement in this country .we all deserve better than having to prop up one mans vanity

exhibitions

exhibitions were varied around la ciotat, there is an excellent gallery in st cyr which seems to exhibit big name artists . verdhilan is featured at present. he is a painter with a primative yet structured apoproach to provence and the water front at marseille. he is impressive in his consistency .the marine painters exhibition in the beaux art building is a marvellous representation of the coast and marseille everyone from orthon freiz to zeim is reprsented, taking a amisty eyed look at old marseille , transporter bridge and all before the germans ripped the heart out of the city in world war 2 ,the beaux art building is very beautiful but the clutter and mess in the forecourt is a disgrace ,like wise the interior, a maginficent staircase ruined by wallpaper actually peeling off as you watch it,come on fork out some money and get the decorators in. the chapel of the penitants bleu in la ciotat has an exhibition by a local group calling themseleves the artist of the chantier. engergetic and lively they also presented them selves to discuss their work, ther is lot of exprimentation in this group which however has yet to pruduce a star performer or real individuality. the gallery on the port is normally not of this standard and usuallly presents works that seem to throughly misunderstand expressionism and fauvism .however the latest exhibition photos recording the life of the shipyard not only had some powerful images but also contains a nostalgic element which reminded us that la coitat was once a grat ship building centre

vacances

south of france what more can you ask for, la coitat is my second home,this year partly en famille.la coitat is very southern french with a long history and what was a shipyard close to some of the most spectacular scenery on any coast any where ,its not too affected by tourism but has crowded beaches. the secret places are best. the petit mugel is a tiny bay beloved of snorkelers ,turquoise sea, over hanging pines and subtropical garden make it a special treat . get there early and leave by 2 o clock, too hot by then .other distractions this year were theiry and severins boulangerie on the road to cyreste .it is place with a Little cafe connected , the croissants are authentic heaven , the petit fors are worthy of a sultans palace, the pizza something all its own ,also there are meringues the size of foot balls and the bread is something supermarkets cant get any where near .open all week no wonder there is always a queue. st jean is on the edge of la coitat, it has many attractions less crowded beach a good hotel with very attentive staff . the rooms have air conditioning . it has access to a private beach and pizzeria , which is actually a restaurant. on the Waters edge, it does great food is run by Corsican brothers, hopefully not the tortured Dumas ones , their illes flottant are superlative.the setting is great really waters edge, and gave a ring side seat to an electrical storm that would not have been out of place in the ten comandments movie .the grand pins pizzeria unlike the one by the beach ,is mainly is what it states itself to be this establishment ,once restaurant is now a noisy bar, which seems to attract a lot of women .the explantion the pizzas are prepared by two hunks ,responding to the heat generated by a wood burning oven ,who break all the undress codes associated with health and saftey, but produce light as feather pizzas. its worth a visit if you like that sort of thing. nevertheless restaurants in france arn't what they used to be , English establishments are as good and have more variety .its interesting the two best meals i had were prepared privately one, in st remy by an english man , the other by French lady in la ciotat that tells you something. both were light lunches that lasted four hours .a good restaurant should produce something you cant achieve at home .most of the ones i visited didnt come any where near . what is better than england are the staff ,eastern europeans excepted ,who are always attentive look like they enjoy their job ,so that even the most ordinary meal becames a pleasant experience the indiana on the bech front exemplifies this .as for english cafe culture , it ain't going to happen we simply do not have the weather

return/retour

we've been on holiday,me, the south of France ,la coitat to be precise,close to Marseille- so hot there was an orange alert at medical centres ,but if you keep out of the heat between 12 and 4 ,dink lots of water and wear floppy clothes, Tuareg's do not wear shorts ,you should be OK .what do you do on holiday ,me ,i go to exhibitions try to find good restaurants, not so easy these days in France ,read, talk. next post I'm going to tell you places to go , this one is about the big Holiday stand bye the good read. i tried a coupleof books which i've forgotten already ,then read new moon again ,while trying not to get involved in a water theme park . then took up salambo by Flaubert. according to my partner blogger, one of the most controversial books in french literature ,it concerns a declining Carthage ,the priestess daughter of Hamilcar father ,of Hannibal and her calamitous meeting with matho the mercenary barbarian. somewhere between baroque and Gothic the descriptions of Carthage ,battles ,executions and daily life are literally dripping with descriptive prose .the climax is searingly tragic , matho distracted by his obsession with salambo is defeated, then given up to torture and public execution .salambo too late discovers she cant exist with out him .it should be a movie but probaly never will be .i finished it and my mouth fell open,other people on Holiday with us kept lifting it up ,putting it down again - "disgusting"- but couldn't leave it alone .salambo will haunt you ,its in penguin classic. i only wish my french was up to reading it in the original version .its message being distracted by Passion a can be a calmitous thing especially if you want to win a war or hang on to your sanity

La Mazet et le Cosmos

Le peuple de Nîmes avait pour habitude de quitter, le weekend venu, le bas des collines où se situe le centre ville pour les collines (il y en a sept comme à Rome) où de grand-père en fils et petit-fils, de brique en brique, de pierre blanche en pierre blanche, ils avaient construit ce que l'on a ici coutume d'appeler "un Mazet". Là, comme isolés du monde, le ciel de nuit semble si prés que l'on y enveloppe ses rêves et son silence, on y respire pus fraîchement que l'air épais de la ville ne le permet. Là, donc, les amis, la famille, les gens de passage y rejoignaient la communauté d'exilés volontaires de la fin de semaine et c'est un partage du langage, du vin et des légumes grillés qui s'y déroulaient. J'ai vécu, il y a peu , le même instant. Celui-ci m'a paru tellement hors du temps que j'avais envie de mentionner cette anecdote. Car la nuit venu, dans le jardin sec du mazet la tête touche le cosmos et l'intime devient, dans l'illusion de l'été, l'universel.

nothing is ever as it seems- as i join the rebels of the calanques

just as i was beginning to love sarkozy he puts his foot in it tries to declare the calanques de marseille a national park , these are stretch of spectacular inlets and cliffs that stretch between marseille and la coitat. national park status sounds fine until you realise it means direct interference with the lives of the inhabitants of the calanques .the calanques are dotted with cabinon, fishermans cottages largely used by the locals ,where they weekend, fish ,generally go about their business .they fish to eat ,cook what they catch ,hunt game and birds for the same reason. nothing is being damaged ,a balance has been achieved. there is a spirit,a way of life, now this is threatened by regulation that would occur if national park status is granted. sakozy has rushed in here waving his Green credentials ,without thinking that the area is the way it is ,not just because of nature but also because what man had done there .unless you regard man as an infestation as some greens do ,then there must be respect for the community that dwells there as much as nature.as a rate payer in la coitat, i have right to get involved in this ,especially as it is a place that has piece of my heart and a sizable chunk of my soul , i along with the rest of the citizens of the coast are not prepared to allow the calanques to be used as a green fig leaf for paris to mask its failings to match targets elsewhere- i am taking break in the very place for the next four weeks ,i will report on the situation first hand when i get back

all things french

welcome to full participation solar a poetic presence from the midi ------------this week sarkosy made brave move to protect the stocks of blue fin tuna the british afraid of offending the spanish and the Japanese offred a minimal and timid support . audrey tautou makes a stunning chanel, high priestess of enduring chic and cigarettes, she has become another victim of the air brush - a cigarette has been substituted for by a pen .sex ,violence, every deviation you can think of is OK but cigarettes no, i don't smoke never have, still don't get pruirience that distorts the truth . the brave legionnairs of aubagne have set fire to the outskirts of Marseilles with some ill aimed tracer bullets, supremely careless, however unlike most of the fires in the midi a complete accident .in England swine flu rages though i don't know anyone who has it , gordon brown has been badly d defeated in a bi -election and believes hes winston Churchill, i believe I'm leonardo da vinci well we all have our delusions .mean while it rains and rains ,hydrangeas grow as big as houses ,and we find the government encouraged the weather forcasters to say it was going to be fine summer. needless to say that has back fired , but thats the uk deep in the silly season meanwhile our troops burn in afghanistan .uk or france you make you choice I'm off to the midi for the summer after next week

Rouler dans le temps

Proust aurait-il été d'accord avec ceci: La vie est une forêt d'arbres abattus. Que viennent-ils préfigurer ? La mémoire des instants, chacun, un à un unis dans la lumière noire de ce qui fut. Regarde sur ton épaule ou bien au creux de ton ventre, il y a comme un oiseau qui palpite et vient te dire ta chance d'être dans la mémoire d'un ou d'une autre. En quoi la mémoire est aussi une forme fantômatique de l'amour, un amour apaisé, cicatrisé. Qui a dit malheureusement ?
Je crois que la mémoire n'est pas le souvenir de ce qui fut mais bien l'espoir de ce qui aurait du être ou pu être. Il y a dans le roulis du temps la mer immense et profonde du quotidien qui a frappé. Et c'est un anéantissement quasi certain de toute objectivité. Je dirai désormais "j'espère que cela s'est passé ainsi."

Uzès et Les Saintes Maries: parenté lumineuse

J'ai dernièrement parcouru les rues d'Uzès et des Saintes Maries et je dois avouer qu'elles ont l'intelligence des lumières authentiques. Uzès se lit comme une lumière surannée, usée, presque polie à l'image des cailloux dans le lit du proche gardon, Le Saintes ont quelques chose d'une flamme diurne,sauvage et indomptée, une lumière qui serait portée sur le ventre d'un cheval affolé sous un grand ciel qui pousse les pieds dans le sel des marais. D'ici je vous conseille donc ces visites, flâneries qui vous porteront du côté d'Arles ou d'Aigues-mortes. J'y reviendrai.

airbrushing the truth

the french authorities are now air brushing any signs of smoking from images of the past. those with fags knocked out of their mouths include delon , bardot , dietrich and audrey hepburn .its very ok to ban smoking but to pretend it never existed suggests counselling is needed for obesseive pruriants- who would re- write visual history--- not so funny the fact that gordon brown slashed money for helicopters in 2001 in afgahanistan .now for 8,000 troops there are ten british helicopters for americans with same number of troops 120, brown yesterday said he had increased the number by 60 percent, that meant six .the most dngerous man in the world is one who never admits the truth or that he is ever wrong .our original story is about foolish nes, the second has deadly consquences and is the tragic opposite of a joke. a writer in the indpendent said men have grudging respect for brown, where has this guy been, just look at the faces of army personel when he visits them abroad and why does he engender amongst most of my male friends suspicion ,for a variety of reasons, as well as managing out to arouse the robespierre / defarge element to an extent we havent felt before - maybe its something to do with unelected ancien regimes

pas encore

officers of the french navy have mounted a campaign to stop the english from burning joan of arc a second time.the joan in questionis the jeanne,-d'arc a 13,000 ton helecpoter carrier which is due to be de-commissioned and dismantled.although no decision has yet been made, the probablity is that the 45 year old vessel will share the same fate as the french aircraft carrier the celemnceau, which is being dismantled by a specialist scrapyard on teeside in the u.k. according to le monde, the french naval top brass have been bombarded with messages from naval officers that jeanne should not be martyrised a second time by les anglais.vice admiral hubert jouet in charge of scrapping redundant war ships said -the english are europeans and have the same values as us,but occasionally,just like in sporting contests, a certain french national pride asserts itself against them.

star crossed lovers

taking up solars theme of uzes and st maries dela mer both are must see on any itenery .uzes is so perfectit looks like it been assembled by by a divine design consultancy ,while st maries de la mere has the magical quality of being neither land nor water floating somewhere between the elements , besides its gypsy festival its celebration of the arrival of the maries in a boat ,it is a site for one of Provence's greatest romances . provence like most places has its share of star crossed lovers ,edmund dantes and mercedes in the count of monte christo ,fanny and marius of the marseille trilogy, less well known are mireille and vincente .the story written in Provencal by Frederic mistral is a tale of a rich girl falling in love with a handsome shepherd ,what else , on the plain of crau., father interferes, boy is beaten up flees to st marie de la mer. Mireille rejects her fathers choice of suitor ,tries to join him by crossing the plain of crau which is a desert like expanse of stones in the scorching heat. she staggers to st marie de la mer exhausted by heat stroke dies in Vincent's arms on the steps of the church . devastation and remorse all round . the moral of all these stories, parents should keep well out of it ,but for the sake of literary drama they never do ,which is probably just as well- Fredric mistral one of the great literary figures of the region brought about the revival of the Provencal language and we now know mireille mireo

alfonse pellet etalage de la peche a bord de la goelette 1890 on show in marseille

a l'heure du sud marseille

port d'attache huiles,guoaches,aquarelles des18th,19th et 20th siecles,et une centaine d'ouuvres, les marines et ports mediterraneens rassembles par la fondation regards de provence racontent , dans tout l'eclat et les subtilites des lumiers du sud, commentles artistes se sont toujours ancres face a l grande bleue .de voyages d;exploration en contemplations immobiles, de l'activite portuaire aux plages oisives et merveilleux mouillages naturels l'amateur ou le collectioneur eclaires retiendront au fil des siecles desmouvment majeurs et des signatures illustres pellet,lacrox,ponson ,garibaldi,lhote friez, ambrogiani --- jusqua 20th septembre ,palais des arts ,1,place carli, cours julien , marseille -- an exhbition of marine art of the past three centuries it contains some important names, the staging of the exhibition in the gallery is always excellent and the catalogues usually become collectors items

bastille day

july 14th french national day to commemorate the storming of the bastille the beginning of the french revolution and the end of the ancien regime so from this side of the channel at least vive la france

french myth 2

that paris is named after a trojan prince not so, it is named after the celtic tribe the parisii who built a fishing village on what is now the ille de de la cite, this error is compounded regularly in quiz books and if you really want to win give the wrong answer a trojan prince

berlusconi's follies and the international wags

the g8 another meeting supposedly to put the world to rights ,this time arranged by berlusconi in the town - l'aquila recently devastated by earth quake in order to show solidarity withe victims .on shaky ground indeed ,with a show of solidarity that flaunts extravagance ,personal vanity and a vortex of sirens enough to tempt any greek sailor not tied to the nearest mast. expensive gifts, meals and visits out all funded by the taxpayer are added to by the international wags aka first ladies .as help had come to l'aquila about as fast as new orleans under bush it wasn't for nothing that women of l'aquila held up placards saying -were the last ladies. this gang of politicians do everything for show in order to retain power at all costs .what is the point of this meeting when the divide between the anglo saxon world and the rest has deepened, there has been little progress on climate change and hardly any of the aid promised to the third world had been stumped up .adding trivia to the spectacle are the wives or wags .in time of trouble 3 million out of work in the uk, an afghan war getting bloodier we have the tabloids distracted by sarah brown fighting it out with michele obama as to who can have the most change of out fits in one day .in sarah bowns case to no avail with no sense of style she imagines slavishly following fashion is the answer, well it isn't thats what fashion victims do.worse still were subsidising it. these women instead of staying home add to the air of extravagance and profligacy, the exception was madame sarkozy refusing to condone berlusconi , she stayed way until the last minute and has such a sense of style you don't notice what she is wearing because she always looks like carla .its time these junkets were replaced by video conferencing and so called first ladies found them selves careers of their own or stayed home. the out come of this meeting so far ,more posturing ,more group photographs ,more promises that will probably remain unfulfilled in a years time, until the next junket is set up to take out minds off what's really happening once again