Paul in London

Scenes from the National Theatre 19:18 - Book signing with Julian Clary . After a talk tonight that I attended I picked up a copy of the book as well... and got Julian to sign it... Up close he doesn't look half bad. However his good hair stylist and tailoring made one feel downright shabby so avoided any conversation...

Bad news... Hearing about the death of a friend today has put blogging a little on hold... But coming home on the tube tonight I did listen to a song by William Finn which contains some great lyrics: I believe, And I have found, Hyperbole, is not what makes the world go round, Just living, just navigating firm and level ground, Has power to astound, I have found. It's been said, And I have heard, That quiet, doesn't have to be a dirty word, Just talking,is often more expressive than a shriek, Its nice to merely speak, I have found. Look around Contentment it seems, Simply happens It appears Accompanied by no grovels And no tears from "I have found" - William Finn And so life goes on...

Scenes from outside Angers Sunday afternoon: Complete with National Front posters urging a no vote in the upcoming referendum on the EU constitution... 

Paul's Travelling Tips Miscellany More on my weekend later but first my observations travelling 300kph out of Paris: A trip to Paris, then on to Angers need not be tiring... Just travel first class. My return leg was in a solo seat so I did not have to play footsie with anybody... The seats are bigger and the cars are quieter... And in general the cars have much better looking people in them... Although the only attractive people in my car tonight are the women... You also get nicer messages on the PA system, and the crew are much more polite. Unless of course you are Grace Jones trying to get a free upgrade, or the Asian woman at Gare Du Nord who showed her ticket to the smart French gent after me and got: "YOU ARE CAR THREE THIS IS CAR TWELVE! MOVE ALONG!" I am typing this while having a nice glass of champagne. There is a bottle of Bordeaux waiting after that as well... The 3pm train out of Waterloo is a good one to catch if you wish to pick up a Gaelic Businessman ret...

Travelling Travelling on the Eurostar speeding through the French countryside, one notices how much smarter it is to travel in first class. However one can sympathise with Grace Jones as the leg room is still a bit minimal. Have been playing footsies with the French businessman sitting opposite me for most of the journey. Oh and there is an over representation of laptops in the car I am travelling in - hence getting out the iPAQ to be a poser as well...

Scenes from the Barbican Thursday 22:03. Intermission 

Theatre: Alas thou has misconstrued everything... Julius Caesar Julius Caesar last night at the Barbican was a marathon effort. First half ran for two hours, then half an hour intermission, followed by another hour. F thought there were a few places they could have cut, but with things falling onto stage, loud explosions, huge crowd scenes, and an updating of the production to a Bush-like era, there was plenty to take in. Sitting in second row, Ralph Feinnes as Marc Antony was particularly engaging. Of course he could read the back of a cereal packet and have had the audience hanging on to every word. But the rest of the cast was just as good. Being a preview there were a few little odd bits, such as a very bright torch falling on stage and pointing out to the audience. The effect was that half the audience in the stalls had to squint for five minutes until an actor picked it up. Given the star power of the cast, it seems like it will be a popular blockbuster production. Whether ever...