People Recent events meant that the Conservative leadership contest all but disappeared into a new black hole -- the only sign being that some other bald person is now pontificating in a blue tie. I was reminded of the only time I met a Conservative in person. I was at a small but perfectly formed Waterstones, and who should be there signing copies of his memoirs, but Michael Heseltine. I could tell it was him, because amid his agent, bookshop rep and security guard, not a soul was around. Actually to be fair to the book chain, the shop was packed, but there was just no one around him. He sat dejectedly behind his desk in the window chatting politely to the rep and glancing now and then at his ex-voters striding past not giving him a second glance – or looking like they were trying not to. And in the twenty minutes it took me not to find the book I was looking for, his only visitor was a Young Conservative who looked for all the world like Nigella Lawson. I thought about approaching just to see what he was like, put to be honest I also had more fun walking past him...
Architecture Rachel Whiteread's 'House' despite protestations to the local council by the art world, was always going to be a temporary structure. The latest momentary vignette features an architect who's structure was designed to be far from temporary until it was destroyed by the ultimate act of 'vandalism'.
Music Tara Palmer-Tomkinson lists her top five classical pieces. Strange seeing Zadok The Priest in there, which I've actually sang for the Queen (I've been about a bit you know). The Queen was visiting Liverpool one day during my last year at secondary school. Someone decided it would be good idea to fill the Anglican Cathedral with school kids and have them sing Handel very loudly, whilst other kids offered a martial arts demonstration. We practiced solidly for two weeks, frequently after school and on the day the big church looked a treat, and even though we had all rehearsed separately, all of the schools sounded epic. And even the anti-royalists amongst us (of which I'm on the edge) were excited about meeting her majesty. So the time came and we began to perform -- and she walked past us, not batting an eyelid -- not that she could miss us. She seemed more engaged with the flowers she'd collected on her way past us. Perhaps she isn't as big a fan of Handel as Tarapt (appears twice in her top five) -- but many of us never forgave her for the slight...
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