THE LOS ANGELES ART FAIR

I have now been in Los Angeles for a year and it has been a very welcoming experience. On Thursday night The Design Centre threw open its doors for a preview to their Contemporary Art Fair. Of course I was stuck in traffic and trying to give a dinner party at the same time. A tricky experience if you are in a car and can't move, so actually I had to return home.
The following day I tried again, this time I got lost. Heaven knows how that happened. In any case like a ditsy creature I returned home, and today finally I made it. More because on their press release they said I had gone.. So oops.. Also the lovely Honor Frazer has a beautiful piece for me, Sh.... because I don't want it to become too expensive. It was a show full of young artists, well so it seemed. I loved it full of colour and not too big. The art fair scene has become so social. Los Angeles is luckily in a good position to compete. With The Grammys tomorrow, it is buzzing. Of course I fell in love as usual, with a piece by Peter Sarkisian represented by the 1-20 Gallery from New York. It showed us how a video itself may look, and in the corner there was another piece, green slime in a bucket. Another piece from Patrick Painter.Inc was a sign saying NO by John Miller, I love saying NO, so it would suit me very well.

I AM NOT A DIETICIAN BUT AM ALWAY ASKED

Everybody these days seems to ring me about weight like I am some counsellor which I am not. I am just a lover of trying to stay the same weight all my life. My Uncle used to gently help me when I was a child, and in my life I have managed to stay roughly the same. It is a nightmare, but much better than sitting on my fat behind, worrying where my life went to.. So here is my recipe.. for what its worth..
First of all try to look at yourself objectively
calm down, that is the best way, plus if you are going through the change menopause you had better go and visit a Doctor. So if you are well try the high protein diet. it works and is good if you have a lot of weight to lose. I used to use Dr Fine in Harley Street, I love this man as I have lost so much weight over the years with him, that he is my friend for life. It allows you to eat the following, eggs and bacon for breakfast, a steak for lunch and fish in the evening. Try cutting out the fat and salt. I find this very difficult. However, if I cut out salt I want to eat half as much. I realise I am a salt addict. Also mixed with oranges you do lose weight very quickly.
Weight watchers, which is the healthy option. means you are weighed each week and you have a circle of pals to do it with. For me the weighing of every item of food is a nightmare, and because you are allowed a wide variety of foods, I never stick to it, but my mother loved it and used to use it.
The one I use now, is just about vegetables and nuts it is hard. You have fresh apple and ginger in the morning, then at 11am nuts and half a papaya, at lunch salad no dressing, and some other vegetables which are steamed. In the afternoon say some apple puree, and at night a vegetable soup it could be leaks, spinach, tomato or cauliflower. No dressing and no salt. This is healthy. However, To lose 70 pounds if you are a woman may take a year, as we tend to not be able to do it all the time.
Obesity is now a serious issue as we know for children, and I for one was a fat child. It was not fun. It is difficult to be good at sports, or evan to sit and concentrate. Plus you are often left out.
Remember men lose weight very quickly, I have just dieted for a week with a man and another woman, he has lost ten pounds to our four. It was fun to do it with him though. He had great humour.
What is your financial situation, choose the one that suits that too, the vegetable one has just cost 165 dollars/120 pounds per person, all the food was bought at Whole foods so it is not cheap.
Remember no liquid should ever be taken with food, people make a big mistake as it makes the food expand and not digest correctly. .
Do gentle exercise, because to do aggressive prolonged exercise, you have to be very fit. Work it up so that you feel fitter and healthier. I don't like weights because they make me look bulky, but if you are skinny they could help. Remember to stretch, evan if we are big fatsos we can stretch, and sit up straight. Hunching over your food or work, shows your age and makes you look older. This costs nothing.
I personally could be very lazy, but I make myself do Pilates or Yoga, throwing a bit of Tango in to make it interesting. Try to keep it fun take up new things to take your mind off food. Evan Farmville, or reading a book, remember we used to read a book a night, well I did anyway. Learn an instrument, or a language. We can all change.
If you have an eating disorder, go and seek help, admitting it to yourself, feels a whole lot better than lying. Go to overeaters anonymous. I sometimes come under this category. Listen to your body. If you are upset, don't go to the fridge, better to do Petville or paint. I read in a magazine years ago to eat your addiction in a hot bath you can't look at it ever again. I did this, it worked. You won't find me eating chocolate.
Don't stay a fat statistic, it makes you feel depressed, jealous, a misery guts, and remember how you used to be skinny and run around...I know, have been there done that.

CALENDAR GIRLS

The female figure still causes spasms of delight from men, they can become so stupid when seeing a perfect figure or one that they find attractive, let alone one that allows them total pleasure without commitment. After many years the Pirelli Calendar girls can still make a man gasp with pleasure, the smooth skin, the beautiful breasts. I become envious. I would like to become every mans dream. This year Terry Richardson has done natural beautiful photographs, my favourite is a girl cuddling a hen. A very sexy picture. I have always been a fan of the nude, taking photographs myself, loving photographers Ellen Von Unwerth and Bob Carlos Clarke. The good thing is that this Calendar has become a collectors item, hanging in garages to boardrooms it has now become interesting to Museums. Terry interests me because he uses no assistants preferring to shoot in the moment, me too, can't bare the wait, make up and hair take so long that the model looks dead at the end of it, so much better to be quick.

THE LAYING OF A STAR, WELCOME ROY ORBISON, TO THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME

The beautiful voice of Roy Orbison rang through the halls of Capital Records Building this morning, as an amazing number of friends and fans gathered to celebrate the great singers life and lay a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame right outside the Capital Building, just as it should be. Loved and adored by this celebrated group,among them, David Lynch, Eric Idle, Barbara Bach, Roy's sons, and Barabara herself. Barbara is a huge character and was swathed in a leopard dress and wearing boots with Love on her heels. She is a true friend to ask me to this event, such a moving moment in history. I am not going to begin to tell you what Roy did so have just copied Wikipedia. Far more accurate than anything I could say.
WIKIPEDIA
"Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly / country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis. His greatest success was with Monument Records in the early 1960s where 22 of his songs placed on the Top Forty, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", "In Dreams", and "Oh, Pretty Woman". His career stagnated through the 1970s, but several covers of his songs and the use of one in a film by David Lynch revived his career in the 1980s. He joined the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne and released an album in 1988. He died of a heart attack at the age of 52, at the zenith of his resurgence.
Orbison was a natural baritone, but since 1961 writers have speculated that he had a three or four-octave range.[1] The combination of Orbison's powerful, impassioned voice, and the complex musical arrangements in his songs led many in rock and roll to refer to his music as operatic, calling him the "Caruso of Rock".[2][note 1] Performers as disparate as Elvis Presley and Bono stated his voice was, respectively, the greatest and most distinctive they had ever heard.[3] While most men in rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s portrayed a defiant masculinity, many of Orbison's songs instead conveyed a quiet, desperate vulnerability. He experienced tragedies in his life including the death of his first wife and his children on separate occasions. He was known for performing while standing still and solitary, wearing black clothes and dark sunglasses which lent an air of mystery to his persona.
Orbison was initiated into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen. The same year he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone listed Orbison as No. 37 in their list of The Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2002, Billboard magazine listed Orbison at No. 74 in the Top 600 recording artists.[4] Rolling Stone rated Orbison at No. 13 in their list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2008.[5]"

STICKING TO AND WANTING TO

This is like dear diary when I was a child, I used to write in minute writing all that I was getting up to, in order not to forget things. I wrote every day in a tiny diary the size of a 4 inch square. I liked this wine diary that graded everything, I would grade my day.

Well the day started off well as I weighed myself and 3 pounds are now off. I am hardly skinny yet. My friend looks totally different he looks like he used to 20 years ago. I have also my friend here with the oxygen tank, wow it is great. It makes me sleep merrily, then the great Lara Shriftman came over to cheer me up.
You know I seriously love Los Angeles. This morning everybody made a trip to the Getty Museum to see to collection put together of Rembrandt's drawings and those of his pupils. All came back raving from this, and the fabulous architecture. I in turn was in Saks trying clothes for my page in Genlux Magazine. Working for this magazine is so much fun, and the people at Saks charming. I found wonderful boots by Chanel in stripes. If I was a little younger I would definitely whip them on.
As for my lunch it looked delicious, cooked with loving care by Catherine, she really is a wonder. So kind and good with humour. She has lovingly made me stick to the diet. Of course I nip into the fridge and grab the odd redbull and salt from the cupboard, but the desperation for these things is waning, when I see the terrible need for cafffeine and salt, I try to ignore it. I realise I have rarely tasted anything normally. It seems like day 80, but it is something like day 3.5. But anyway I am now able to feel the bones in my neck again.
After a lovely day I remembered Jacqueline du pres and sat on the sofa listening to her, lucky me.

DETOX WEATHER DULL

My third day of the detox is half way through and although I am not brilliant as I always manage to sneak in the odd extra banana, I am noticing I miss salt. Probably the worst thing for you, but I am in love with it.. I should be skinny without it as I hate everything I eat. I jumped out of bed..weighed myself and to my utter delight have lost 2 pounds. My friend has lost 6 pounds, but then maybe they had six pounds to lose.That is what I am telling myself. Of course when my computer didn't work this morning I could feel I was angry.
Had to get out, as it's a sort of gloomy day, the sort you remember all the people who don't love you anymore. Listening to certain music sets me off. So I took the trip to Sasha Newley's show at 8955 Beverly Boulevard which actually I loved. A story unfolds. Of course it could be strange in some people's mind. He is not on the same path as some of other painters around, but then their Mother wasn't Joan Collins and their Father, Anthony Newley. For example Dexter Dalwood who opened this week end at the Tate in the South of England is much more in line with what is cool. Thank goodness there are lots of different people in the world, and some who don't want to be controlled by a Gagosian or Saatchi wing, however pleasant. I suppose everybody would like his portraiture, but I like kitch and for me Beauty and the Beast would win overall. Apart from this Sasha is totally charming, and there is never a dull moment. As I was leaving the great Dynasty clothes designer walked in Nolan Miller with his director of Public Relations Rene Horsch. Nolan was the creator of the wide shoulder glamour look, and should never be forgotten. Anyway so much fun, there they were saying he still makes lots of Joan's costumes.
Came back in time for my salad, and some musrooms with spinach. Wow tomorrow I had better lose another pound.

WORK AND PLAY LA

I am back in Los Angeles, partly because although beautiful, the freezing cold in London is not for me. I am now here to diet and finish a play let's hope I can do both in ten days. I looked at the scales this morning and it was definitely time to pull myself together and start exercise and be fit. There is no more beautiful place on the planet as I look outside and see the best sunset ever. The play is about a girl trying to get into Drama School which is a tricky thing. Totally different from Britain's got talent, which is so much more glamourous. The courses are not to be taken lightly, a three year course is physical and mental torture. However I learnt so much.
I first went to a RADA Summer School for a four week workshop, and after a lot of struggles went to ALRA, a school in Wandsworth. A beautiful building to learn Shakespeare, Noel Coward and Oscar Wylde in.
Meanwhile I am dying to attack the fridge, as I can think only of food.
Today we ate melon for breakfast, and a vegetable burger for lunch and now I await my delicious cauliflower soup, all perfectly presented by Catherine Vanazzi from Rio, Brazil.
There is so much to do here, long walks along the beach, an exciting and emerging art world, and yoga from Eka Ekong a girl who looks like the beautiful woman in Avatar, she also teaches at Yoga Works.
Sacha Newley arrived in my house yesterday, I love his dark paintings, I have one in my tree house.. The more you look the more you see. He is skilful in his production, and also very interesting to talk to and articulate. He shows at the moment paintings and drawings, using diverse influences that range from Leonardo Da Vinci, Lucian Freud and his own family history, Newley shows both the dark and light sides of his character.
However much you may see yourself one way other people may see you another. That is what I am learning from writing this play with Lyall, a genius with words it is fun to work with such a smith.

HARROW SCHOOL SINGING COMPETITION

I went to the Harrow School Singing Competition tonight, which was hotly contested by some truly talented people. It must be hard when your voice changes - and when you have sung in the choir, you must naturally feel a sense of loss when it moves from soprano to baritone; equally, when you have to cope with new ways of portraying very difficult pieces of Bach, Mozart and Handel. The Adjudicator tonight was Mark Wildman, the Head of Vocal Studies at The Royal Academy of Music. Accentuating the positive, he truly believed that all the boys tonight had talent and promise, and they did. Of course, I had my favourites too, including Charles Eliasch, a counter tenor who just happens to be my son. (This is a tricky voice because it can split between the low and high voice, but he is beginning to make the transition.) However, enough of him. There were others that caught my attention - in particular, Adam Urisevic - who, demonstrating that the Vienna Boy's Choir's loss is Harrow's gain - sang a piece from The Marriage of Figaro, and Simon Kim '(For Behold the People That Walked in Darkness' from the Messiah). I also loved watching my favourite boys: Ben Kinsella, who should be a comedian, and Ed Parson, last seen walking down Harrow High Street in top hat, tails and cane. But my sincerest congratulations go to Anton McCormick, who won the Oliver Sichel Prize.

WE COULD FIND NARNIA

The only way to come
out of the closet is in drag
if we go far enough back
amongst the moth balls
old shoes and
grandmother's fur
and sit for a while
relaxed
we could stumble and find Narnia
we could climb through the
forest and feel the snow. Aren't you fed up
with too much sexual honesty
and freedom. I want to be in
South Pacific and sing "I want to wash
that man right out of my hair". I want innocence
again. To dance in grass, feel it and remember the
excitement of seeing somebody I love for the first
time, or I don't really know..

THE KARMA PARTY

The party of Love and Peace is entering British Politics, here to help youth think twice. So just as you are about to throw your gum out of the window or stamp it into the pavement think again. Tobias Moss is going to run for Kensington and Chelsea, and will awaken your consciousness. Tobias has run Karma Kars for ten years now and is going to show us the real way to live our lives, with harmony and gratitude. Well, give him a chance. I was in a taxi today, and overheard a politician say on the radio that we had got ourselves into this mess and now we had to get ourselves out of it. What utter rubbish. How many people in England would actually volunteer to turn up at Hyde Park Corner and fight against Afghanistan and Iraq? How many people would really have advised our banks to invest in America's shitty mortgages? And how many people actually would turn up and say it is okay that, because of this, the bankers should keep their bonuses? Come on, Tobias could do a better job, so give him a chance. Meanwhile, the petty cash should be left to a shrewd woman's pocket. EG The Queen's.

OTHERS PEARLS OF WISDOM

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

CHRISTIAN BOLTANSKI EXHIBITION IN THE GRAND PALAIS PARIS

One of the artists I most revere is Christian Boltanski, who deals with those people that are forgotten. He is a Frenchman born of Ukrainian Jewish extraction, from his father's side and his mother from Corsica. I remember seeing an exhibition he did some years ago in London with faces of Jews who had died in the camps. Today he has taken on the Grand Palais, showing us in real terms the clothes and the business of them at the camps. Rows and rows of colourful clothes take on
a Spielberg feel. You are haunted and wonder what will happen next. A huge mountain of clothes and a crane is to the left, making you think deeper. And you do. To the right there are rows of boxes with numbers on them, rusting. This subject is never overdone, the effect is cumulative, and you are further haunted. Go and see this show at dusk, it is eerie.
The Grand Palais has a new artistic advisor, my good friend Jerome Neutres, with whom I have done a book on Indian artists. Charming, brilliant and energetic, he will take Paris by storm. Good luck, mon ami.

HEARTS AND FLOWERS ROUND THE CORNER I HOPE

Valentine's Day is round the corner, and it's time to find true love and to also hang on to what love we still have in our lives. I think I shall help all my single pals this year find lovers. I am fed up with hearing that there are so few decent men around. I do think, though, that we women may have become a harping, unattractive bunch. Nagging was the norm when I was young. I was nagged to get up, nagged to help, nagged to take a walk, nagged to feed my pony and muck him out, nagged until my brain was filled with demands that I certainly wasn't able to fulfill, so I in turn have nagged men. I don't like doing it, but men eventually seem to respect and need it. The trouble is, nagging is certainly no good for sex, so men tend to find new pastures, with easy flesh and foliage. We are all replaceable. Still, let's think hearts and roses, and pray that we all have something to celebrate -because an unloved face shows. In the interests of research, I have tried my hand at all the dating sites in the last few weeks - beautifulpeople.com, chemistry.com, match.com - and had a lot of fun. But let's be creative with how we approach our new men: you can send them a JibJab video or card, you can send them a LOVE lifebelt from Damien Hirst to woo them, or you can write some poetry. Think pink. It will all go well, just watch it.

An interview for Couture Lab

1. Can you tell me about your childhood, where you are from and grew up?
I was brought up in Wiltshire, with my Mother and Grandparents. My Grandfather was the film director,writer and producer, Sidney Gilliat. so film is essential in my life. I was given a country childhood and I still love nature from afar although I was born in Beirut as my Father was Foreign Correspondent to the Daily Mail, and had been Journalist of the Year in 1959. He was working in the days when the Cold War was terrifying. He lived with a gun underneath his pillow and was ready to kill at any time. My Mother who was then an opera singer, decided on a quieter life and moved me to the country in the Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire. I was taught to ride, sing and play the piano a Jane Austin existence.
2. What did you study in school and University. Did you always know that you would be involved in art, fashion and photography?
Although artistic and musical I didn't know I was going to be involved in the art world. Although I always had an eye for colour and shape all my friends used to ask me at school for help with their wardrobe. I used to sing in Bath Cathedral and enjoyed mostly the music of Handel, Purcell and Mozart. I loved singing requiems. I was interested in decorating, my Grandmother's house had been featured in House and Garden, and this always fascinated me. I suppose I wanted to do the same. I used to lie underneath the piano as she practised and listen. The sound was best there and I was left in peace. I loved my Mother singing to me, she had a beautiful voice. I was interested in stamps and my first job was working as a stamp dealer. I loved them, I am purely visual. I started to open my eyes to art when I was very young I loved Picasso and my grandparents had an amazing collection of art from Picasso to Michael Ayrton. I loved it and I wanted to collect it. I loved books too and love Shakespeare more than anybody else. I went to ALRA a drama school for three years, and studied acting at RADA and The Moscow Arts Theatre. I liked flowers, I trained at Winkfield which was a finishing school in Windsor. Although failing, I began a love of clothes, flowers and decorating. At the time I was quite porky and broke so I didn't buy that much. I could though make a pretty house, and this I did. With my first house we did a three bedroom house in Battersea. When Kenneth Turner, the florist,saw it - he was my then boss- he said "decorate to your character," and this I have done ever since. Conran taught me to love furniture, I worked in his furniture department. I like furniture designers Mark Brazier Jones and Oriel Harwood,they have a Baroque feel to them. I like maximilism not minimalism, I like the colours shocking pink, black and gold. Working also at an Estate Agent could have been a boring job but not for me, I loved it. I would dream of the houses I could own. It made me ambitious I suppose. I studied Photography with the Black and White Photography School, and had private lessons with the late Bob Carlos- Clarke and Michel Comte.
3. Can you tell me about the history of your amazing homes in Paris, London and Los Angeles and how you have added your personal style?
l like bricks, they live, they tell stories, they are alive with history. I am in love with Architecture, form and shape, Architects, Mallet Stevens, and Harald Levitt were favourites and I want to own one. Mallet Stevens was a socialite cum architect in the 1920's Paris who is now greatly admired by them. I also have a crush on Tamara Lempicka, by lucky lucky chance managed to find her artist studio. It has her original furniture by Prouve and her sister. Steeped in history I feel I can imagine her life. Hal Levitt is an Architect in LA who specialized in clean lines. Not so well known but should be I have found the house of my dreams there.
4. What is a typical day for you when you are in London, Paris and LA?
I only need four hours sleep roughly a night, if I need more I take it. Otherwise I live on a blackberry. I like to then go back for a quick kip at about 7am. Don't call me before 10am. I like to dream it is powerful to dream and I need peace for that. From the dreams I create a reality. I hate exercise but it is a necessity, so I will then do one hours yoga or have a tango lesson and have my hair done which is essential to my well being, when my head is massaged it relaxes me. I liked this from childhood. I will meet my friends for lunch but be warned I always have a struggle to keep my weight down. I do paperwork, bills see builders, my architect Mark Guard for my latest project. I like to go to two or three parties a night if I don't like them I can leave. I am sociable, I love people.
5. What is your most prized possession?
My most prized possession is a teapot set I received. I beautiful teapot set with butterflies on it.
6. Can you define what art means to you?
Art is anything made by someone else that moves you it must be personal, I don't like names, I like feelings. I wouldn't buy a name.However I love contemporary art but I also am a fan of furniture, music, and can be interested in almost anything.
7. You are traditional yet contemporary in the different art, photography exhibitions and projects. What inspires your exhibitions and what interests you in the old and new?
I am old and new, my brain likes both. I like youth but l like grannies too. Life can't be separated. I have 1950's values mixed with a wildness, underneath I am 1950's, the time when my mother was young. I was born in the 1960's when everybody was wild. I am a mixture of everything, and I try to be. I try to stay modern.
8. Your book Cloak and Dagger butterfly was written on your blackberry, what inspired you to write the book?
Love is the only thing that inspires me to do anything, love beauty and passion. I wouldn't get up if I weren't in love. an amazing love story can stir anybody into action.
9. Can you tell me about your inspirations for your other books Artists at Work and Made By Brazilians?
I was asked by Italian Vogue to write and photograph for Franca Sozzani a book of Artists in England. A book on their studios. I owe everything to her, her vision, her creativity and her belief in me at the time. She gave me a chance. No one else had except my then husband Johan Eliasch. He supported me entirely.
10. You are Fashion Editor of GENLUX, can you explain the concept of the magazine and who the GENLUX reader is? This is an up market Los Angeles magazine about Fashion with good photography. It sells clothes. The reader is very rich and can afford anything.

11. Your blog has something of a cult following- can you tell me about it?
Has it? I do it like I used to write my diary as a child. Dear Diary. Of course I have to be careful. I would really hate to hurt any of my friends. They are precious to me. But if it is cult how cool is that? I just write about anything that appeals to me that day.
12. Have you ever designed clothing or accessories or do you wish to do so?
I would like to design underwear. I love underwear. I love its feel, and I love to make myself look as good as possible.
13. I read that you are interested in working in Politics and started a party called the Truth Party. Is this an area you feel strongly about?
Aha did I say that? I was lying..

IF by Rudyard Kipling

if' by rudyard kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud/

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud/

ALL HANDS TO THE FLIGHT DECK

England has become ridiculous to live in. Not only do we have to pay back huge amounts of money in tax for idiots loaning people money in America, but now we are going to have to help British Airways. Come on girls, lets go sort 'em out. We need Trinny Woodall to help organise the baggage area at Terminal 5, because they are in a bit of a fix and only she would be bossy enough (in a charming way) to get the flag flying again. We have had a little bit of snow, we were warned about it, but still British Airways' staff were unable to cope. Quite frankly it's a disgrace. What would they do if there was a real war on, or a life threatening situation? There are three million unemployed and British Airways can't manage a few extra bags. Shame on all of you. I am coming round tomorrow to help. What has happened to the church? They used to look after these sort of things, with some bossy woman in a village sorting it all out. We were better off under Maggie Thatcher than these male clowns. Come on, let's go there, and I can find out at the same time what has happened to one of my bags. Has it been delivered? Yes or No. Computers, darlings, only work if people know how to use them and they fill out the forms correctly. Cut their wages. Shame on the whole lot of you. You will be in deep shit when I put in my claim form. P.S Maybe Trinny would be better at running the country. Food for thought.....

CHRISTMAS TREES AND BUILDERS

As I touched down yesterday from Los Angeles, all I could see from my window was yards of white snow, and middle England swathed in grey mist like chiffon. What am I doing in this country, when Los Angeles was shiny and bright?. Sometimes I wonder. Today however the flooded gloom has lifted, and if I could be bothered a long walk would do me good, it just isn't for me. I am instead looking forward to seeing no more Christmas Trees. Of course I love them, but after twenty days they seem to droop. Today is the official day that they come down in Spain and it is more celebrated there, than Christmas. Yet more presents are delivered and everything draws to a close as the Christmas lights go out. I did enjoy myself this year though. It felt cosy and I love my friends in Los Angeles. Julia Anne Rhodes's tree was so tiny and pretty, as is her house. Mine was a magnificent creation by Eric Buterbaugh and his team, extravagant in red. A tree tells your character so next year make sure it does. For now everything is put away, and I have to get on with my team of builders back in London.
I like houses with history,by some famous architect, or with some intrigue. Think about it, all houses have mystery under layers of paint and wallpaper, they have their unique beautiful stories to be found out. This I like to do, I like to take them into this decade with their fables and recreate them all over again. That is why I loved the Paris house. Tamara de Lempicka is a heroine of mine, and her pictures I would love to own. Mallet Stevens an architect of note. LA house was by a well known architect called Hal Levitt whose superior designs house famous Hollywood stars, among them Vidal Sassoon. So... here we go.. with London.
I have decided to remove all emotion from the building site of Cheyne Walk, it could drive me crazy, especially when new regulations say that the builders have to have a tea room, a new bathroom etc. Still nothing has started. I await for all my permissions. Builders are such a lazy lot, it can be nightmare, along with interior designers who believe that they have better taste than me. It can be a guaranteed loss of friendship with the sixth cup of tea of the day. I hate tea and coffee all day long, fortunately I have imagination, and the idea of all that milk swimming in my veins, is enough to put me off. In any case I expect nothing this time from anybody. It is now the 9th property I have done. Therefore probably I am as experienced as the builders themselves. It is always hell. So I shall think of violets and roses and get out of here, and wait until everybody has finished.

MAYA OPENS HER HEART in her book YOGA FOR REAL LIFE

Some people have many talents and are brimming with excitement in life, throwing themselves into new arenas and creating interesting new lives for themselves. Maya Fiennes has this ability and has the endorsement of Deepak Chopra " Maya Fiennes is one of the true examples of a pioneer in the field of yoga" Wow,that says it all. Her knew book "Yoga for real life" is a treasure you must buy. It has valuable essential advice for us all. Elle Macpherson says "Doing yoga with Maya is inspirational, energizing,sexy, and gives me joy". Maya indeed is sexy and has one of the most enticing smiles you are likely to see. It calls you to further your goals and be happy and relaxed in doing so. Dressed in pretty colours, she is an enchanting spirit. Luckily I have spent a lot of time with her and in many different situations and she manages them all in a very forgiving and charming way. She is also a concert pianist and originally encouraged my son Charles down his musical path. Her book is no different and yet different from the wide range of books on this subject. You see it has her, and her clarity, her ambition and enthusiasm. Read it.
I am pro Yoga as it saved my life in 1992 when I had post natal depression and was unable to get out of bed. I love bed but this was ridiculous. A kind friend took me to The Life Centre in Kensington, and under the tuition of some incredible people, Godfrey Devereaux , Kati and Kisen I was brought back to life without pills.. I will never forget their kindness. They taught me how to live fully. Thank you

OXYGEN STARS in BEVERLY HILLS

It's the new year and I don't want to go home to England. I am fed up with the stream of bad news and snow. It's sunny here in Los Angeles and the people are friendly. Not only that but there is a Oxygen tank in my bedroom, 8 foot by 3 foot, and I feel as glamourous in it, as any Hollywood Starlet. Last night we had three people give it a try. It is meant to be good for your skin, your bones, your blood, your brain, in fact all kinds of ailments. So for roughly twenty one thousand dollars you can be a new person, and live the dream of this town. It really has a coffin like appeal, although I thought I would want to get out the minute I climbed in. The Global Hyperbaric Oxygen tent claims to do it all. So far I slept deeply and feel brilliant. Of course I would want to test it, I did not. This morning I have bagged another session, and am looking into where I can rent one in the UK. or evan buy one, Maya says she will send it to me round the world, now that is a good idea. www.globalhyperbaric.net and speak also to a lovely woman named Maya at maya@globalhyperbaric.net.. Michael Jackson also believed in this, but he give it a wacky reputation, check it out for yourself.
Being a sceptic, I really like to test everything, and this has led me to worry night and day about, what I believe to be, the unfair imprisonment of Amanda Knox for the murder of English student Meredith Kercher. Of course I worry for Meredith's parents, and the sensitivity in this area, but I also hate injustice. How long, if Amanda is innocent, which I of course believe she is, will she be shut away? Although this is not the only crime against women, it is one I care about. May be it's because my name is Amanda too, and I also have a photograph of me with a gun!. For weeks I dream about collecting her at night and taking her on a magical mystery tour.

MOZART SPARKS RESOLUTION

As it's the first day of the new year, I am wondering why do so many of us want to get pleasure from lying around, doing next to nothing, but the truth is it's delightful sitting by a fire, gossiping, laughing, and not having to think about much. This is what Christmas and the New Year seem to be about, getting together with lovely friends and feeling close for a few days. The only problem is now the scales will have to be removed from the cupboard. Diet time is here again, will it ever end?. I was thinking that perhaps we should be rationed again as I look through my cupboards. If global warming is truly happening, then why don't the people in power check the food intake at Christmas?. Isn't it excessive? The horrific number of empty plastic bottles, turkey carcasses thrown away, wrappers, ribbon, boxes, presents not wanted, travel and electricity . What would we all do with no petrol? The sales are also upon us, rows and rows of clothes and discounted goodies. I have NLP'd myself and attached all shopping to baby poo in order to revolt myself. Please therefore forgive the gloom, I just don't need anything new ever again. On another note, I drove along the beautiful coast in Malibu today listening to Mozart with the roof down and realized how lucky I am. Beautiful weather on the 1st January is a luxurious rarity. Last night was spent at Cecconi's in Melrose with Julie Anne Rhodes, Tim Willis, and Michel and Ayako Comte. The food was delicious, we ate lobster and afterwards celebrated the New Year at my house with my son Charles playing the piano.
My New Year's Resolutions are
1. No shopping for clothes unless it's a total necessity.
2. No loop holes.
3. Lose 5 pounds that I was meant to lose last year.
4. Be sweet and lovely to all the people I wish to eradicate.
5. Hopefully my previous driver will not be back with his chauffeur hat on.
6. Put on my play.
7. Finish my neon lights.
8. Actually finish a book, and put away my computer.
9. Accept my birthday and relish it.
10. Be able to wear my clothes that are twenty years old.
11. Do exercise at least three times a week.
12. Enjoy solicitors' letters and bank statements
13. Help a granny before I am one.