Boadicea's Chariot

I’ve just seen an advert for a rerun of a Rebus episode tomorrow night with, it said, either John Hannah or Ken Stott. For me Ken Stott is Rebus and that’s that.  Similarly Sean Connery is the only James Bond for me, and Ioan Gruffud is the only Hornblower (sorry, Gregory Peck). To go even farther back in my viewing I consider Rupert Davies as my only Maigret with Ewen Solon as Lucas.  Apologies to Michael Gambon, but there it is.

Do other Charioteers have their “only” actors to play certain roles?

There’s an article in Nice Matin this morning about an Antibes artist who uses charcoal to decorate local walls and trees. He seems to confine himself to the narrow streets of the old part of the Cité des Remparts, as Antibes is often called at least by the press. It still possesses a fair part of its old defensive walls overlooking the sea.  As you can see the back streets of old Antibes rather give the lie to the reputation of Riviera glamour.

There are penalties for graffitti “artists” in France if they are caught. This artist would face them. Yet his work, as he points out, does no harm to surfaces and washes away in the rain.  This is not the case with the mindless “tags” applied with spray paint on buildings and trains by those who are basically writing “Achmed woz ‘ere” and not creating a thing of beauty but just delineating their gang’s territory.

I think that if this charcoal artist is ever caught, he should not face the same penalty as spray paint vandals. In fact if I were to find his work on our front wall when we go back in a few weeks, I would feel quite honoured.  Surely this is a case where the law should not be applied equally.

http://www.nicematin.com/antibes/photos-les-douze-plus-beaux-tresors-qui-se-cachent-dans-les-ruelles-du-vieil-antibes.2231589.html

While it is often said that there is never any good news to be read in the press, I think that yesterday and today have been pretty satisfactory.

Yesterday we had Merkel and Hollande announcing their latest scheme to show who rules the EU roost by putting forward a plan to make corporation tax the same throughout the EU.  There are more member states than the UK who would object to this, particularly Luxemburg, the homeland of that useless president of the EU commission, and Ireland, which recently discovered through the IMF just how it had been bullied into austerity to save the euro. ( I did like John Redwood’s definition of euro as European Unemployment and Recession Organisation as well.)  But the dreadful duo’s announcement should show Cameron that we might as well get out of the EU now.  Referendum next week and stop the cheques today!  I can understand Hollande’s desire to reduce every other member state’s competitiveness to France’s level, but not why Merkel bothers with him. Perhaps he’s mastered saying “Jawohl meine Führerin” nicely.

Today’s pleasing headline concerned the dawn raid by the Swiss police on the Baur au Lac, one of Zurich’s most prestigious hotels, to arrest half a dozen FIFA officials, allegedly corrupt.  Whether they were dragged out in their pyjamas was not reported. Said pyjamas are probably of silk lined with hundred dollar bills (to misquote P G Wodehouse).

The news about the dire financial straits of the Cat Rescue Society in Menton was less pleasing, but I can’t have everything.

So the Swedes win Eurovision again. It only took them two years! I am pleased that Australia did well and has shown interest in competing again. My personal favourite entry, Norway, also did well at 8th place. Meanwhile, the Huns and their neighbours, the Austrian Huns, have competed with each other for null points saving the United Kingdom from bottom place again. You are welcome. Next year, watch out for China competing. In the process, could they please colonise Hunland? I’m sure they couldn’t run the place into the ground any more than the present lot!

A bit of colour in an otherwise rather rubbish back garden. I have no idea what some of them are so any ideas would be welcome!

I’ve been rather busy organising the house and after the trauma of moving and a new grandson, the garden really has not been high on my list of priorities.

Continue reading “A bit of colour”

Highcliffe beach is pretty. It was also 15 minutes from my Christchurch B&B. Luck was with me because there were few people around. I wasn’t completely alone, of course, but it was pleasantly quiet and remote. To the east was London, to the west, Cornwall. To the south, Frogland. I walked out to a stone jetty and began shouting in Chinese. Poseidon had none of it and I promptly slipped on the slick, sea moss-covered rocks. My pride being the only thing wounded, I slowly made my way to wash off the grime after picking up Chinese take-away. I also organised a taxi. One really couldn’t be asked to drag luggage a mile to Hinton Admiral. Continue reading “The Celtic Fringe”

There is an interesting article in the French press about a Muslim family in Nîmes who have just lodged a complaint.

http://www.msn.com/fr-fr/actualite/other/jihad-lappel-de-karima-pour-faire-revenir-sa-soeur-hanane-16-ans-partie-en-syrie/ar-BBjAv9y

The sixteen year old daughter Hanane stole her older sister’s ID and went off to Syria. So the parents have laid charges of kidnapping, abuse of a minor and incitement to suicide. What is unclear is against whom these charges are levelled. Don’t you need to name someone you feel is guilty? In most of such cases it is of course the French state that is held responsible for not doing something or other.

Hanane has managed to contact her older sister from Raqqah and is apparently not enjoying islamist life there and wants to return to France. But it appears that this is not so easy to do, not because of the big bad wolves (sorry OZ) of French policemen waiting at the airport but because of the thugs of the religion of peace keeping tabs on her movements.

I hope the parents do find someone against whom they can bring charges. It will be interesting to follow this case.

The UK voted and, as of late evening Pacific Time, Cameron is set to be returned as Prime Minister with an increased number of seats. Clegg is at risk of being made eligible for a return to the EU, I mean, lose his seat. It could have been much, much worse although I think that many Scots are in desperate need of psychiatric help. (Sheona, ColinB and John Mackie exempted from this)