The Headache after those European Elections
This site owes a great debt to Mirek Topolanek, the former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. Last week I wrote a series of pieces on Czech subjects because, well, I just felt like it – and why not? He…
Hating clarinets and flip flops is just silly
Someone I used to know told me once that he hated clarinets. Why? I thought thinking of the wonderfully languid opening of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and then Mozart’s heart-breakingly beautiful Clarinet Quintet. As is usually the case when people…
Ahhhhhh Grasshopper
Whilst all around me are talking about the passing of the Gordon Brown government here in the United Kingdom, I thought of Mark Twain’s adage “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” If only Gordon Brown could come…
Dvorak and Nelahozeves on a rainy afternoon in November
Nelahozeves – I didn’t know how to pronounce it then and I still don’t now but finding these old photographs taken one moody November day in 1990 reminded me of a strange and potentially ill-advised trip into Bohemia all those…
Twenty Years after the Velvet Revoution – Havel or Topolanek?
All this business of Silvio Berlusconi’s nudist parties and the former Czech prime minister, MirekTopolanek’s capacity for fun has put tomorrow’s elections for the European Parliament into a new light. Mr. Topolanek, who left office last month after a no-confidence…
Sun, sea and Mirek Topolanek – hot stuff
There must be something about the thought of the former Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek relaxing naked in Silvio Berlusconi’s Sardinian holiday villa because suddenly this site has attracted a host of Czech readers (see yesterday). He is seen here…
Oo-er Prime Minister! A bit more sin from Gordon Brown and a bit less from Silvio Berlusconi
I guess we all know that sex sells newspapers that was why I cheekily mentioned everyone’s favourite three-letter word the other day when I wanted to grab people’s attention for a piece about poetry. World news today is dominated, or…
Bare Foot Snail Crushing in a Rose Garden
There are a lot of people out there who think that gardening is all about pretty flowers and sitting in a deckchair admiring them. I used to think that a bit when I moved away from a house with a…
I always knew I was irresistable
People who know me may not realize this but I am alluring, deeply attractive even in a crowd of models and football stars or even tennis players. I can’t help it – it is just there. I think it is…
What it feels like to be getting better – crap!
The quiet world of being a recovering brain haemorrhage victim was livened up somewhat over the last Bank Holiday weekend. Not only was there a house full of people, lively and humourous ones too, but there was also a list…