79: Mayorial musings - London and Lille

I have to admit to less of a growing respect, and more of a diminishing despair about the foppish (Alexander) Boris (de Pfeffel) Johnson, candidate for London Mayor. I discovered his full name recently and this has for some strange reason made him slightly less unendearing.

He does appear to have grown in stature as the campaign has unrolled though I still cannot believe he could do a good job of being in charge of the UK capital. His assertion that there needs to be new blood at County Hall and claim that he is the one who can provide it, has struck a cord with many for whom Ken Livingstone was a compromise candidate or maybe even a protest one.

Ken is looking a little tired after 8 years in the post: it is a demanding job. Even so the polls are looking close, too close to call. How ironic would it be if the man elected first time around in spite of the Labour party, may lose office third time around because he is their official candidate? There can be no doubt at all that the Labour government's current lack of popularity will be to Boris's benefit.

I cannot help but think that the lack of interest in politics and the political system must be playing more than a small part in this too. Boris is, if anything, less the Tory candidate and more the non-candidate, the character candidate. Against Ken the consummate politician and Brian, probably the best all round candidate but the one with least personality, one can start to see the appeal...

Whereas here in Lille, we have recently re-elected Martine Aubry to lead us. I say "we" because I count myself amongst those who gave her their franchise. Somewhere in the top ten of popular politicians in France (Betrand Delanoë, re-elected Mayor of Paris is number one), Martine has garnered respect rather than popularity during her stint in Lille. Indeed this morning she officially succeeded the pépé of the Nord, Pierre Mauroy, to the presidency of the LMCU (Métropole Communauté urbaine). Mauroy now an octagenarian, is largely credited with revitalising the town we see today and was instrumental in securing Lille's place on the Eurostar network. Merci Pierre! If not for him we would perhaps not be living in Lille today. I look forward to being as grateful to Martine.

78: Little Mouse

Small and serious on the Paris métro,

Clutching his souris peluche, a little wan

Touched an ancient need somewhere deep,

He met my eyes briefly, looked away,

And there I was in the pushchair,

Forty five years ago,

And maybe fifteen years too late

To contemplate my own little mouse.

77: A place in the sun - special?

It is with some relief and slight disappointment that I have to report that I am not going to be taking part in a Channel4 programme. Having spoken at length with the producer/director a couple of weeks ago I was all set to be filmed as I arrived at St P's International and had it in mind that perhaps they would stand me a glass or two of champers in that grotty long bar. I wonder if they realised that I have recently received my Carte Blanche from those lovely Eurostar people? I now have access to Le Salon - the business class lounge - where it was almost too embarrassing to help myself to the drinks and snacks made freely available. I am sure I will get over that and plunge in!

I really didn't get the premise of the programme though. How interesting would 30 minutes dedicated to people who travel from France back to London on Eurostar be? I suppose they really wanted an angle and I don't really have anything that fascinating to say... I was in any case beginning to wonder what the quid pro quo would be. It all seemed a bit one way.

Anyhow, apparently they found someone who does the commute more regularly and who lives in the Pas de Calais. I have my suspicions that they confused PdeC with Calais itself. They hadn't done much homework because they didn't know there are no season tickets available on Eurostar and that the train only stops twice a day at Calais making travelling from that station tricky.

Still, on reflection, I realise that there is nothing more popular these days than being a voyeur into someone else's life - why else would anyone want to read this blog? - but there wouldn't have been much substance in the programme. I shall be looking out for it with interest nevertheless, though we cannot, as yet, receive Channel4 via our satellite. Roll on FreeSat!!!

76: Let there be light!

Progress has been made at Chateau Newman-Legros and, all of it, during my absence in London! Our kitchen hitherto slightly cave-like is now receiving shafts of daylight which give it a completely different atmosphere and will save on electric bills too. The picture alongside shows light cascading into the room, just the start of the transformation as we have yet to dismantle the false ceiling and allow the light to come directly in. The skylight - 1m x 2m - forms part of the new roof above the kitchen which was previously covered with corrugated cement/asbestos sheeting somewhat worse for wear. Now we have spanking new rather industrial double skinned insulated steel sheets. If you say it quickly enough it could almost pass for traditional hand-baked terracotta tiles...

On the first floor the beginning or even the middlings of a bathroom which which pertains to our bedroom. We spent time yesterday perusing tiles and debating where the tiling should end and whether we could match two types. Such is the excitement of home improvement. Looks as if we shall be opting for mosaic in blue or green or blue-green with, perhaps some old-fashioned bevelled white oblong tiles.

Now if only the recent £50 premium bond win had had a couple more 000s!

75: A Tale of Two Hats

I had forgotten how bloody miserable London can be in the rain and I am sitting here in Southwark "at the controls" of The Audience Club for the last day turning the lights on early as the light has seeped away from the day and it is almost evening.

This has been an interesting experience which has involved me wearing my Better Bankside hat every morning and my The Audience Club one every afternoon though the two have inevitably overlapped a little.

Angela is back in the wee small hours tonight - we may go and surprise her at the airport! - and I shall be relieved in more than one way of my responsibilities. It has been frenetic, almost stressful, and certainly has left me with a stiff neck at the end of each day spent staring at the computer screen whether it has been writing copy for the BB E Brief or uploading new shows onto the Theatre Ladder - join up if you want find out what that is!

It has surprised me at least a little to discover just how difficult it is to entice people to go and see a show. With seats to fill and venues to support I even resorted to special offers giving 4 tickets for every 2 paid for. I say "paid for" but in reality it is only a booking fee so 4 tickets for 4 quid!

What can you do? Are people really quite so despondent. Are they perhaps just choosy about the shows they want to see ie I wonder if Sound of Music would have much trouble selling out at £2 a ticket? Can they not be bothered to go slightly out of their way to see some creative piece say in Hackney or Croydon?

I wonder if in fact it is not just indifference though there are people who saw "free membership" and signed up with brusque alacrity and yet have booked to see precisely nothing in four months. Perhaps the telly has been especially great over that period (Life On Mars was repeated), or perhaps - like someone who once joined the ICA because ie me and I didn't go once in that one year I was a paid up member - it felt good to belong to something "worthwhile".

Thinking back I remember now that the call of home after a long day in the office was always louder than the gentler enticements of culture, be it yer actual thinking stuff, or the pub kind. Nothing changed there then. Just shows there are some things you can't even give away.

74: Does anyone give a toss?

It took only a few hours for the long-awaited news to slip out that Sarko and Carla had finally - two and a half months after meeting - tied the knot. Some have been waiting for much longer and still wait. The bets are now on as to how long their union will last with favourite currently that they will split by the end of the year. The Sarkozy Circus trundles on.

Let's hope that the happy couple took time out from their celebrations to partake in the tradition of La Chandeleur when crêpes are consumed all over France to mark what we know as Candlemas the day when Christ was presented at the temple.

Let's hope that they tossed their pancake with one hand whilst holding a coin in the other to ensure prosperity throughout the year. Let's hope that they managed not to drop it as this toowill bring good luck. France needs both.

Super Sarko is onto his third marriage, so one can only surmise that he believes in it. It is her first - so maybe she is a convert. Sadly he continues to deny access to those rights and obligations to same sex couples whose only alternative is the ground-breaking PACS which has been left behind by most of Europe, and which affords only 17% of the rights of married people. One wonders why, given his poor track record, the happy couple didn't choose to be PACSed...

Thought the pancake's shape is supposed to represent the sun returning to herald the end of winter (seasons must have changed surely), if Petit Nicolas is to avoid tossing a pancake into his own face - better the role of ringmaster at Cirque Sarko than clown - he would do well to direct some sunshine on inevitable full equality.

73: Champagne charlies

St Pancras International is currently something of a disappointment. Long awaited and feted as a destination in its own right, this magnificently restored building is an architectural gem. Sadly much of the extensive media coverage and marketing has been frittered as so few of the promised amenities are yet open. A day after Eurostar's first paying passenger service arrived here there was but a handful of shops open. A fortnight later maybe a third are in business. I was invited by Angela - who took pity on my one-wheeled bag and turned up with a spanking new valise - to partake in a flute at the longest champagne bar in Europe. It is certainly enjoying early success and we are grateful to the people who permitted us to join them as seats were at a premium.

As champagne bars go this is nothing special, relying soley on the location with nary a thought to service or presentation. At £7.50 for a flute of house fizz I would have expected the sparkling liquid to have been placed in front of us, at least, if not poured, yet our glasses were unceremoniously plonked in front of us without as much as a paper coaster to take care of the dripping condensation. The manager explained that they had taken the decision not to use coasters as they might look "untidy". This concession to style over substance is surely an opportunity missed, it seemed to me, thinking whistfully of the great German beers for example that arrive at optimum temperature in the right branded glass around which has been placed a branded ring to prevent dripping. If a "lowly" beer can be thus proudly proffered then doesn't the prefered drink of celebration, of luxury, of good times, deserve at least as much? He commented on how they had been the "victims of their own success". Later I wished I had retorted that it is sad how so many can be satisfied with so little.

I still wish St Pancras well. Once fully fitted out - some benches might be nice - and with all the units open, it will be worth a look beyond the in-the-face magnificence of the Barlow shed. For now I cannot see non-passengers making early return visits. As for the champagne bar, expect it to be openly offering cheaper alternatives before long. Perhaps it could become the longest coffee bar in Europe?

Not with a bang - with a cupcake!

Leaving London for Lille on Tuesday evening I travelled on what was the last ever Eurostar to leave Waterloo International. We were promised celebrations and an evening of festivities and somehow I managed to get it into my head that we would be offered mementoes of the Waterloo years or even a glass of champagne. What we actually got was... a chocolate cupcake!

More soon.

Autumn in London - Hi Ho Hi Ho

Yes it's off to work I go!

And this rather scary/scared looking pic heralds the new dawn with a new haircut! I wasn't expecting it to be quite so short but, hey, it'll grow soon enough. What is it about being in the hairdresser's chair that makes one feel so devoid of choice or power? I think another centimetre everywhere will be perfect. That should take 2 weeks the rate my barnet sprouts.

I am gainfully employed for a few months working just 14 hours a week for an organisation called Better Bankside a Business Improvement District in Southwark, Borough Market, Tate Modern, Vinopolis, The Globe theatre. Interesting area. It will be fascinating to be an employee again.

In the meantime not much to report from chateau Newman-Legros. Almost crippled myself removing the contents of the loft down two floors to the ground floor and then putting most of it out for the encombrants last week. Of course there was nothing of any real interest to be found except some more original doors which we may just manage to put into use again somewhere. I also managed to put my foot through a little piece of ceiling. Ho-hum.

We cleared out the dépendance on Saturday and put away the, scarcely-used-this-summer, garden furniture. Now we have plans to turn one end of the space into a garden room by replacing both the existing solid doors and the window with, well, I suppose we would call them French windows but, since whatever we buy will be French most likely I mean glazed double doors. Some clear sheeting on the roof and a bit of tidying and Petit Bob c'est ton oncle!

More from London coming soon. May be in Brighton on Saturday - ma foi it's expensive to go 50 miles if you haven't managed to plan way way in advance. Working on it...

Bisous à tous!