Monday 14^th December 2009

I’m struggling for breath after lunch. It’s Christmas. The Smallmeal/Limpney cards have already gone out, I hear – computer-generated address labels. Terribly efficient. Val has had one. So has Robert Nevil. None for me, course. Delete button pressed. They usually send 400. Does quantity of cards compensate for quality of actual cards? That is the burning question. And what should the card be? I’m just going out to buy some. No idea what to do.

Cards, presents, menus, frockage. At last my menu has come for my dinner tomorrow. Ottolenghi again!  I’m sorry. I can’t help it. It’s new, you see. I just hope pomegranates are still in.

Part of the trouble is that Poor Little Rich Gays keep staging non-Christmas events – although the Multis yesterday took over a pub and gave a phenomenal pre-Christmas gathering for friends and family of the Photographer Multi. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

But back to Friday – Robert Nevil at Gay’s the Word bookshop. Do you know it? It’s in the intellectual quarter of London. Anything less Poor Little Rich Gay would be hard to imagine. No frocks, all evidence of money ruthlessly stamped out. Shop has been going for years. Sells books called ‘Is the Rectum a Grave?’ and earnest studies of gay muscle culture with pie charts. But was terribly important, part of movement that that freed all gays, we should be eternally grateful etc.

But aren’t.

Joshua Baring, very young friend of Robert Nevil’s, even younger than Arjan Bose, also present, both the only beacons of hope. Joshua said, ‘There’s no-one attractive here…. oh dear, how loud was that.’

But people never think it’s them, do they?

It’s terrible though. But I must show it to you as it is. Joshua was wearing a unique red coat, (fitted bodice and sweeping skirts) only available from a special selection at Topman during London Fashion Week. Arjan was in a tiny jacketlette, also from Topman, in Blackwatch tartan.

The other thing is Joshua told me the sales have already started. I nearly bolted out of the door. But there wouldn’t have been much point, since it was eight in the evening.

You may remember Robert Nevil is connected with the world of books. His new published History of the Pony Club is flying out of the shops. At Gay’s the Word, various personages were talking about their favourite gay books. Robert Nevil was one of them. A publication has been prepared – it’s out now, you must buy it. We don’t need to know much about Robert Nevil’s choice except that it’s completely and utterly out of print. There are hardly any copies left in the world. Should you find one it will cost £175.

Perfect, but also Poor Little Rich Gays love the obscure, forgotten and minor.