stylists

critics would say they are a mess however the Brits produce a crop of style eccentrics its hard to beat - way back to oscar wilde our, current stylists hold up the tradition. helen bonham carter in vivien westwood at the golden globes ,like fashion car crash, she stood out amongst the blonde glamour girls who all looked the same. then we've got russel brand wild and wonderful who wouldn't dream of wearing a tight blue suit, a dandy with his own style never on best dressed list, he should be because he's an image maker legs then there is also tilda swinton who looks like shes been resuscitated again no one like her these, three have created their own image are like fashion laboratories in the round. fashion slave David beckham take note youve fallowed every look under the sun but don't have your own sense of style

Le sang bleu de l'hiver

Début d'année au coeur de l'hiver. Début d'année, plus une mort qu'une naissance, comme un goût poussiéreux d'amertume, il faut refaire le chemin vers l'hiver prochain, traverser encore celui-ci qui n'est pas encore fini, aller vers le printemps avec allégresse, celle qui fait battre aux tempes le pollen et les fruits puis arrêter le cours des choses dans le grand coeur savoureux de l'été, le grand coeur de fruit rouge entrouvert et saignant, le grand coeur de l'été généreux et offert comme une femme du sud portant haut la poitrine, le grand coeur de l'été. Mais pas encore. Pas encore. Mon cher amour de Juillet. Pas encore. Il est encore Janvier et je promène celui que j'appelle mon corps le long des bateaux du port dans une immense lumière bleue. Le vent qui lui tranche les épaules fait son malin. Alors voilà, cette lumière bleue m'apparaît comme le sang bleu d'un immémoriale bête céleste et triste, là, sacrifiée dans le ciel pâle. Et tombé vers nous, liquide contre le sol, son sang bleu, épais et glacial. Le voilà qui nous colle à l'hiver.

les faux pas

why are our leaders so ill educated about history Cameron said we were the Junior partner with the u.s in 1940 - the u.s didn't get into the war until 1942 when two turning points had been reached El ale main and Stalingrad. now sarkozy when he is in Alsace thinks he's in Germany, since the war the population of Alsace has done everything in its power to become wholly french this man is insulting, slack, and perhaps not worthy of the office he occupies

an oasis

after the hectic times of Christmas wears your interconnect gland out, i for one need a quiet place, my own oasis a place to remember what am i all about-- its difficult living near to a building site but i try to imagine an empty space . what did i do in this place i read and then i drew or painted things i don't normally paint desert men, fighting bulls, in a medium i don't usually use, and i cut out all extraneous contact- that is contact you have because you think you have to,- if you don't you'll be anti socially or a sad looser- so it became movies s i wanted to watch food i wanted to eat, no comments ,no dissenters, no justification needed. on new year we had dinner with Vincent and honorine and very unobtrusive they were too ,which is just the way i like it when I'm in the oasis mood. out side the oasis, bad mouthing continues ,petty jealousies flourish ,incompetent fools are in charge everywhere, and the news is bad, a selfish British electorate, greedy Icelander's, floods in Australia and dull weather- yet i have to come out again or I'll have become an out of touch recluse ,the longer it goes on the more difficult it becomes.so today its off to Bristol to a marvellously eccentric ladies exhibition and then off to an Italian restaurant tonight with friends who i can disagree with but who don't sulk now that's a real treat- so ole i click my heels and back out into the world i go

madness

eu regulations force fisherman to disgard any fish caught that are over quota, therefore half the fish caught are returned to the sea dead, a futile waste this is part of the eu conservation policy but still madness . the solution fish less days keep all the catch, senseless killing of any living creature cannot be justified- join the protest movement by signing up at www. fishfight . net--- my great grand father was a fisherman i know how important the conservation of the seas is it is a vital resource we cannot afford to despoil

it turned out all right in the end

here in the south west the gardens are ruined, i feel i want to do a Garbo hide away,what a lousy time of year -so what am i doing painting images of the south of France, reading the biography of Hedy lamarr the movie star an ongoing down ward spiral into poverty and tragedy until the last chapter, when the super intelligent Hedy her beauty gone, is recognised for her invention that led to mobile phone and space technology , and who then at te age of 75 learned to play the stock market and ended up rich again-- brains before beauty any day ,but her looks certainly gave her a head start, but ironically her legacy is much more than anything she did in the movies- so every time you lift your mobile thank Hedy Lamarr

lack of optimism

apparently,in one of those crazy polls that no one you know has ever taken part, in the french are the least optimistic country in Europe - well cheer up mes amis, you have twice as much space as the UK, better roads ,railways, everyone i know looks chic, has profound things to say. has more sunshine ,endless supplies of classy rose ,gorgeous weather presenters , great jeans wonderful shirts , glace fruits , places like nimes and the bouche du rhone coast - ok your restaurants aren't so hot any more , your chips have gone to dogs and the french and English navies are about to make love . and even if the french language is on the run ,you live in a beautiful place ,you have an existential intensity that gives me goose bumps, and no matter what the Franco phobes say, your the most loyal friends you can ever make ,so cheer up mes ami you've got a lot going for you and i love you ,will defend you against all comers, even if you don't love yourselves

new year

new year is one of those things that was big in Scotland maybe a viking tradition eating haggis neeps and carrot mash it then spread to England then the empire etc with robbie burns old land syne never mind we dont know what it means .new year for me well not my thing , getting snogged by poeple you've avoided for the rest of the year getting smashed ,so new years days a write off ,we also have the new years honours list this year luvvies and dodgy bankers. david suchet got one the great Pete pothlethwaite didn't. annie lennox for her charity work well if she was a real toiler in the fields we wouldn't know about it. then they give dame hood to an actress called harriet who no one knows - what a pointless farce -- new years meal 3star and didn't have to avoid any unwanted lips this year also texts and emails and phone calls from all my closest so excellent start hope all goes well for anyone reading this I'm not making any resolutions and intend to be as grumpy as ever. as for the fireworks in london an artistic triumph that knocked sydney cold - i didnt see paris so i cant make comparisons