The Places We Live Now

Well here I am in the leafy 'burbs of lovely Cirencester, I'm on a trip to see the designers who are working on a couple of books that we are just finishing up. Virgin Cross Country took me to Cheltenham Spa where my friend picked me up. He and his wife used to live just over the hill, in the next valley, from us, but moved south a couple of months ago with their young children to be nearer parents and also not to have the hassle of spending most of their entire lives on the school run, or whatever other run is necessitated by having kids. 

We were talking last night over supper about how important it is to live in the right place for the time of your life - something that it is so easy to get wrong. For us living slap bang in the middle of nowhere works perfectly, but it wouldn't if we had young kids. It won't work once we become older and less able to deal with the garden, and less happy to have to drive the 80 mile roundtrip to Edinburgh. They and I agreed that we were so lucky to have a very wide choice of where we can live; they were also lucky to have sold their house just before the latest round of madness set in. Now they are renting and looking for somewhere in and around Cirencester; the only difficulty is finding somewhere because, apparently, in the current situation there's not much coming on the market. Tricky times!

Growing Tired of London

I'm in London, I'm not keen. Even a trip to Hatchards (the world's best book shop) failed to lift my spirits on account of the fact that I couldn't find anything much to buy. I'll try again later in case publishers have made a special delivery....I live in hope.

More as it happens....

Slightly Foxed or Totally Stuffed?

"(There's) a hint of nostalgia for a time when business could be conducted in a wholly idiosyncratic manner, reliant on relationships that were honed over decades of familiarity (and possibly contempt) but that were nevertheless indulgent of the vagaries of all concerned."

I just read that in a piece by Ariane Bankes in the winter issue of the excellent Slightly Foxed. Ariane, it tells me in SF, used to be Eric Newby's editor and now runs a small arts festival in Derbyshire. Newby was a brilliant travel writer but Ariane is referring to his time in the family business of Lane & Newby (Mantle Manufacturers and Wholesale costumers) that he writes of in his book, 'Something Wholesale', which is about his time in his family's firm immediately after WW2.

In fact that one sentence encapsulates a lot about what is wrong with business today. The pursuit of the new, the different and the desire for change, for change's sake, seems to get in the way of much of what might be sensible. Part of the drive in this new way of business is brought about by an over reliance in the old adage of keeping one step ahead of your creditors. In this case those who might find you out. And it's not just business; isn't it what buggers politics? There’s little or no room these days for the idiosyncratic, let’s all be the same, dedicated followers of fashion every one of us.

Similarly the speed of modern living is not allowing people sufficient time to enjoy life. Work has never been top of most people's list of things to do, but if there were less speed, less haste, then maybe there would be less stress and more sense of achievement. The pursuit of change is camouflage for dealing with problems. Let's reinvent ourselves and we'll have moved on before we're caught out seems to be the mantra of modern living.

The secret of life might just be our ability to achieve our expectations. Today our expectations are continually being pushed just beyond our reach.

You Couldn't Make It Up No.19

Let's get this right. A man appeared in court yesterday accused of racially abusing his own mother. According to the Scotsman Scott Garment, 21, is charged with acting in a racially aggravated manner referring to his mother Catherine as a "n****r". His partner Kerry Dickson, 25, faces a similar charge. She is alleged to have called Mrs Garment a "black b*****d." However, their trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court was adjourned yesterday after Mrs Garment, failed to appear and a warrant was issued for her arrest.

First of all it's a domestic and you wonder if every argument that took place in every home, in which threats or abuse was used, came to court how busy our courts would be. And now police time has to be further wasted because the woman who was abused didn't appear in court. We've turned into a nation of time-wasters where everyone thinks that there's a law that they can use in their favour. No doubt whatever the outcome one party will take the case to the High Court and hire Cherie Blair because their human rights have been abused in some way or another.

The Bluetooth Brigade

Home from the Southlands, what a relief - and not just because I'm off the laptop on onto the big screen. The drive back from Burford in Oxfordshire took me seven and a half hours, which was longer than the AA web site had forecast. The traffic on the M1 was horrendous and was not helped by the weather; it kept going from torrential rain to dry, a potential lethal combination when combined with road works.

I stopped at a Services, I think it was in South Derbyshire somewhere. In any event this turned out to be the bluetooth capital of Britain. It seemed like 60% of the men in the place had a bluetooth device in his ear. There's something very disconcerting standing next to a man in the lavatory who is having a conversation on his phone. I'm sure the blue tooth hands free device wasn't invented for this purpose. All in all it reminded me of a scene from the movie 'Bladerunner'. Afterwards as I was drinking my reviving cup of coffee I sat fascinated by the bluetooth brigade. I can report that about 70% of those that had them in their ears were men of a certain age - mostly had shaved heads.

I saw not one woman with a bluetooth device in their ear, nor, on reflection, have I ever. What does that tell us?

Lunch at The Canny Man

Just leaving the sanctity of the Lammermuir Hills to head to Edinburgh's Morningside (fir coat an' no knickers). We're having lunch at the Canny Man with Gus and Alexandra, and David & Rita.

It's my birthday and I'll drink if I want to!

UPDATE....and boy did I, or should I say we (all except Christine who didn't because she did the driving). We sat down at 1 p.m. and lunch finished at 10 p.m. The Canny Man for all those who don't know it is a wonderful place. The food was excellent, the company brilliant and it was my best birthday in I don't know how long.