Friday 22nd March 2013

Still haven’t heard finally about that cruise. It looks as if we’ll have to cruise on until the Monday rather be released on the Sunday.

Now I’m dashing for The Winslow Boy. Lord Arrowby (aka Sir Robert Morton) has organised a theatre outing and is actually using me, Adrian Edge!  All the world-class Poor Little Rich Gays are coming bar a few.

No progress on the old rose carpet. Just set-backs (see comments on previous posts). But we’re building up to the Crucifixion, so I suppose it’s only to be expected.

Tomorrow to St Kil – snow threatening but I am determined to get through. Two treasures will be on board – Jesus and Patrick Lockyer. So massive responsibility for me at the wheel as we forge into that strange, watery other world of St Kil.

I see a TV murder drama coming on with lashing rain (or lashing snow: same difference) and driving wind-screen wipers with helpless faces peering from within the vehicle.

My engagements are coming back to me as I write. Writing is so therapeutic.

Last night we took a gay group at the accountancy firm – where the Multis began in money and where Prince Dmitri Hersov still reigns supreme in forensics (that Prince Jeffrey case!). There were speakers with the white wine and canapés were  forthcoming at a rate of two a minute. On the whole it’s Good for Business to embrace your Gays – if you’re an employer. Young people, even if straight, won’t work in a place that isn’t inclusive and open to all.

But still Gays are afraid and not enough is done. Nice noises made, but no plan. no implementation, no buddy scheme or gay mates.

Difficult for Poor Little Rich Gays who aren’t part of movements. Royston King, who wields millions for London, even prefers the old days of conspiracy and underground. Civil Partnership, as we know, has been a disaster in some quarters where relationships were many-dimensional.

Mostly younger Gays at the accountancy firm event – overwhelming men, some women and one transgendered. That’s not right apparently. I could have done with a little more attention. The young are ruthless and there’s always a certain feeling that looking for love is not on at such an occasion. One must be thinking of higher things.

In the afternoon Genevieve Suzy of the Magazine World (Yes, yes, yes, it was Rachel Johnson who drove Val from Chelsea Harbour to Notting Hill last week after Genevieve had summoned her to look at fabrics) took me to a wine tasting and rare crisp show in an hotel in Cavendish Square. We got quite drunk on the tastings and couldn’t carry our harvest of free samples away in anything less than two taxis. Genevieve can never have red wine or she’ll die but she loves Sauternes. There was a presentation box containing  4 half bottles at one stand  but an intense interest in sweet wines did not provoke a presentation until I had tasted all the reds. At the rare crisp stall we got a lovely box the size and shape of a pizza takeaway carton showing all the rare crisp types on offer.  Also examples of polenta cake in different flavours (salmon and cockle, leek and gooseberry etc), available in the Richmond area, poured into our bags. Of further interest was the vodka in different colours with gold bits in it (real gold). Oh, and the Japanese white wine.

Actually the work was gruelling and we’ll be able to bring these makers to the world as they never could themselves. So a certain amount of lavishment quite justified. Also we need to continue our sampling in the home environment for accuracy of description. The rape-seed oil for instance must be tried out for frying.

I quite forgot a Cork Street PV – brilliant work! Flowers Gallery downstairs. Vibrant, rich, colourful but a strange Japanese restraint. Major artist, beginning to be given proper recognition at last. Rush and buy.