Saturday 27 November 2010
NEW YORK IT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER
I came to New York. My father said stay at the Pierre Hotel and said" I will pay for you, as I have never been able to do anything for you before". After three weeks I asked him if I could have my bill paid and he said he didn't have the money. It was a hard terrible lesson to learn. The bill was seven thousand pounds and I earned ten thousand a year. (My father never paid the bill, my future husband did).
I had one or two knights in shining armour that summer, the summer of Madonna, the summer of a yellow dress, the summer that changed my life forever. One of the knights was my next husband and one was Phillippe Bigar. They looked after me, seeing I recovered. In any case I wasn't a model and so never went out with Phillippe but he ran a leather shop somewhere on the Upper East Side, it could be Madison Avenue, and I would go to East Hampton for the week ends. We were wrong about each other he once told me, "I can't go out with you as you won't age well". Well I did although I say it myself. I had lucky genes and a good surgeon.. I thought he was Euro trash. He was not. Phillippe went on to study music and is now a composer. So although the Summer was hell, it had a good ending. I married the other man and went on to live an incredible life and two beautiful boys. Phillippe is now writing music. My life altered in ways I could never imagine, I was lucky and now I look back on it on this chilly winters day, in a place where it all happened. The city of dare and chance.
Friday 26 November 2010
Thursday 25 November 2010
ADORING DIOR
PARTIES AND PACKING, MY GRANDMOTHER's TIPS.. SHE WAS CALLED SQUIRREL, for a reason!
THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT GIVING
I was listening to my Aunt yesterday who wants a string of pearls that she can wrap easily round her neck. I remember reading that Coco Chanel loved pearls because they have the ability to lighten the face and make you look younger. Well we all want that. So I shall take up the challenge.
Think about who you are giving to, what they love, and if you don't like it yourself don't buy it. There is so much wastage at this time of year. I also love to wrap up presents enjoying every minute of the arduous chore...which is more pleasure than chore.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
INTELLECTS, ARTISTS, FILM MAKERS GATHER AT THE LANGHAM HOTEL
Last night felt like a 17th century coffee house, full of writers and leaders from various fields of film, music, fashion and art, created by Pablo Ganguli and the organisation Liberatum in order to help merge people from these fields from all over the world for global understanding. Most people would put two or three people together for a small dinner party but he has the energy and charm to mix 100. Through a naive exuberance, he is fast becoming a central focus in the arts scene, a la Peggy Guggenheim but including every medium. If you are lucky enough always say yes to his invitations. I learn something incredible every time. The party was generously hosted by Pablo and the beautiful socialite, Ella Krasner for the Nobel Laureate and Sir V.S and Lady Naipaul, at the Langham Hotel whose food was totally delicious. The guests included the editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani; film directors Stephen Frears and Terry Gilliam; artists Grayson Perry; Mat Collishaw and Polly Morgan; writer and director Danny Moynihan; Polly Sampson, David Gilmour,and The Evening Standard Editor Geordie and his wife Kathryn Greig; the literary agent Ed and and his wife Carol Victor; and so on filling the room with intellects, wits and raconteurs.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Monday 22 November 2010
FROZEN HEART
My heart
stopped in 1963when I
was
three
years old
it stopped
I could not
tell
you
why
I failed to understand
all I know is it stopped
I used to sit on my own
play
on my own
play baby Bach on
my own
but never
knew why I
felt sad
so lonely
and
never
understanding
why
My heart
was frozen
as if in pain
it died one
day yet carried
on
living
How do you explain
the loss
the feeling of pain
it
takes
away the smiles
and happiness
I asked my
mother
and she said
when she left
my father I never smiled
again
my heart was
frozen in a grimace lost in thought
happy and sad
squashed together
in agony leaving
no stone
unturned
and never
feeling secure
andwarm again
gone were happy days
in the snowlong gone
ANNA DELLO RUSSO
Sunday 21 November 2010
SIMON COWELL YOU ARE ADDICTIVE
Simon Cowell is the cleverest man in England. He has the whole nation watching. It's like when my son watches Match of the Day and his beloved Chelsea loses. It's heart wrenching. I want all these talented people to be successes. Yesterday I voted for Katie, I just didn't want to see her go, her little brown bob, so cute and so clever took away the blonde brassiness and suddenly she was the nations favourite.
This week end television is becoming so exciting. Poor Nigel Havers in Get me out of Here who said that "Every day is like a year" he said "I am in a mental asylum" I don't blame him I hate rats, creepy crawlies and nasties, and I also hate the inane conversation, "I don't do Kangaroo courts" Bravo Mr Havers. I would leave within the first hour. I wondered what an intelligent man like him was doing there.
I want to throw the television out of the window, it is so incredibly addictive. I need to read a book and go to the theatre, anything to get me out of here..actually I understand why its nearly the end.. but one good thing congratulations to The Royal couple, I hope that they will be very happy.
This week end television is becoming so exciting. Poor Nigel Havers in Get me out of Here who said that "Every day is like a year" he said "I am in a mental asylum" I don't blame him I hate rats, creepy crawlies and nasties, and I also hate the inane conversation, "I don't do Kangaroo courts" Bravo Mr Havers. I would leave within the first hour. I wondered what an intelligent man like him was doing there.
NOVEMBER TIGHTROPE
I have nearly
given
up as
the winter
branches
have just
turned
and autumn
has gone
only a few
leaves
are hanging
on by worn out
stems
from my bath
I watch my skin
age
in time to
the leaves
I look at my
face
and my fine
lines are
hidden
under
the cleverness
of a doctors
wand
I wonder without
hair dye how
old I would
really look
but am not ready to
give up just
yet
I fight like
the leaves
in November
against
the tightrope
of time
I will not
plunge to my
death just
yet
and hang
on brushing my
teeth and
painting my lips
with red hot
paint.
SPRING CLEANING EARLY
It's a gloomy day on the Thames but I have decided to do Spring cleaning early. We are in November and boats are silent in brown water. I am happy cleaning and finishing my house trying to rid the most romantic house in Chelsea of any signs of builders and mice. It's a hard job, yesterday more gas pipes were messing up the hall but I am doing my best. It's domestic bliss without a man round here. I am putting myself again on Chemistry.com in the hope that a knight in shining armour is just a street away, and will put a cheerful smile on my loneliness. After all it is my decision. I can no longer support the idle and depressed. I have too much to do, and it's too easy to go down that path however painful life is.
Instead I had a girlie day with Behsat Ahmet the best pilates teacher in the world, he has actually repaired my back with a series of calculated exercises. I often wonder if I will ride a horse again and feel the wind through my hair. I had the most delicious eggs benedict with my friend Amanda Neville from the British Film Institute at the Wolsey, who gave us the best table in the house. We had fun together in Dolce and Gabbana, I tried on every dress in the house and she had patience. I ended up with a see through lace number calculated to show off my new skinny frame. Yes I am a whole lot thinner than I was a week ago, let's hope it stays off and I find a man who only enjoys macrobiotic food.
Saturday 20 November 2010
Friday 19 November 2010
Thursday 18 November 2010
Wednesday 17 November 2010
PIN ME INSIDE
My heart craves
the opening of your
soul
pierce it just
a little for me
to see into
it
don't be idle
come show me
just a crack
show a human
side
I feel loved
I know I am
I know you do
so be brave and
let me sew myself
into a corner
of your
beautiful
insides
you laugh when
I say you are good
and when I say I love you
but you are
and just believe
me
because I know
IVANA LOWELL and a Night Out at HAKKASAN
I'M GHASTLY BUT I CARE
The world of Amanda feels like it is getting back to normal. I even watched daytime television for the first time ever yesterday and wanted to take all benefits away from the lazy lot on Jeremy Kyle. How can we educate these indolent cretans to get off their fat bottoms to do a days work. The boys were skinny and were quite capable of replacing the Polish on my building site now, so why aren't they?. Yuc, England has become disgusting, stealing, bad fathers etc all on benefits. I know I won't be popular but enough is enough, the people could only have been 20 but they looked 58 ready for death. These people are voting, quite frightening really. Why should we pay tax for this lot. They would soon learn what real life is like. I jumped into a taxi furious and told the taxi driver how loathsome the people on this show were and he said "Don't watch it is damaging". Why on earth would they think any of us want to pay for them. I say get back to work, or we will take everything away from you. I don't care if I am unpopular. If we stopped paying for idiots perhaps we would be happy to pay for further education?.
Let's get back to glamour. The life I made, because it wasn't like this when I was young. I was Tamara Drewe without the sex life, so if I can do it so can they.
Thank goodness for the end of the world in 2012.
Thank goodness for the end of the world in 2012.
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Monday 15 November 2010
THE W HOTEL GROUP IS ELECTRIC
Sunday 14 November 2010
NO PRIDE BUT PLENTY OF EGO, our welfare system.
A national debt of four trillion is "serious handbag", as my girlfriend Julia Laverne says. I say we should bring back to England its old industrious nature and team effort. This debt is 25 percent more than the value of every house and flat in Britain. In the circumstances, I say everybody should pay tax if they can walk down the road, and are well.
If a woman thinks it is an achievement to have four babies by the time she is in her early twenties, it is not. The welfare that she believes she is entitled to has to be paid back. There are other ways of earning money on your back. We have become a fat indolent nation. Playing computer games all day is not a way forward. People who believe that renting out their council house is a right are morally sick. They need encouragement to learn to work again.
Think of all the skills we have lost: growing potatoes, cooking a full lunch, making a cake without a book, making a boat, sewing sails…Our seamstresses who were so talented, but where are they now? Why have we all become so lazy, living off disgusting processed food? Everyone should be a Nigella or Jamie in the kitchen.
Of course there must be a safety net in our society for the disabled, the ill, the old and frail. There should be free education and hospital treatment. But it still has to be paid back. Why does anyone who is healthy and able assume that they don't need to be part of society and contribute appropriately, 50 percent taxation won't work as the clever leave, we need to provide incentives for people to think of new jobs? The poor and – just as importantly – the well off like me should all do our bit, and if the Government was not greedy people would stay in this country and we would be able to help reduce the national debt, we therefore should reward the clever like Sir Phillip Green, and make life attractive for them to stay in England and help us sort out this hellish mess. WE SHOULD ALL BE REALISTIC There is nothing free on this planet, and why should there be.
(Although I am fortunate enough to get all my needs fulfilled, I am not Bill Gates, and my money would not buy enough burgers for Macdonalds to feed the whole of London in one day, so you know I made my money by co producing my ex husband's empire, when I met him he was 24 now he is a multi millionaire)
Saturday 13 November 2010
ISABELLA BLOW IS ONCE AGAIN REMEMBERED
HARRY POTTER AND POPPIES
On a lighter note I had the good fortune to go to the premiere of Harry Potter book Deathly Hallow this week. I have never read the books nor seen the films and I thought I should make the effort and see what its all about. Glamorous and excited I loved the way the film looked, and yes there is something delightful about J.K Rowling who I was lucky and honoured to meet. Clever woman with a warm smile and a hand of luck. Good for her. There were beautiful moments, stunning landscapes with huge grandiose music by the number one French composer Alexandre Desplat who seems to do everything these days.
Friday 12 November 2010
SORRY it's BT's fault
My goodness moving has been a strain, I only unpacked about a quarter of what I had the rest fitted a previous life and one picture has ended up in my ex's house, between finding my Father's ashes and seeing my great grandfather it has been a bit of an emotional roller coster.. The internet broke down and four days later it is of course barely working. What has happened to this country it has become a nightmare?. You would think that everything would be much simpler, but no it is hell. After about twenty hours on the telephone to BT I have eventually a weak signal.
So sorry I have been unable to write.
So sorry I have been unable to write.
Sunday 7 November 2010
NICKY HASLAM's DREAM COTTAGE
Saturday 6 November 2010
DRESSING UP AND HAPPY TO GO NOWHERE
I feel I am dressing up to go nowhere this week. I am so busy nagging that I can barely get out and if I leave the house you never know what will happen. Everything is nearly done except for several thousand little things to keep the builders busy. The energy here is good, and I am loathe to say anything other than I am totally happy. I think it may be the first time in at least 3 years that I feel at peace. The internet is of course a disaster and I seem to have to wait six weeks for telephones from BT. By the way what has happened to this company?. I am totally fed up with being put from one department to another and living with a very poor signal. My mood is good though as I watch fireworks from my bed. I think it is the first Saturday I have had in for about 4 years.
I am dieting again with Catherine Vanazzi from Brazil. Her menu is totally delicious nowadays, I had vegetable sushi today which was beautiful to look at and I wanted more. I will jump on my scales happily as the pounds fly away.
I had one really fun moment today with my friend Dounia, who is thirteen and has the voice of Barbara Streisand, she needs all my support and luckily today my lovely friend Bhesat was on true form and instead of pilates he spent his time helping her sing.
Both are brilliant singers, there is so much talent out there.
I am dieting again with Catherine Vanazzi from Brazil. Her menu is totally delicious nowadays, I had vegetable sushi today which was beautiful to look at and I wanted more. I will jump on my scales happily as the pounds fly away.
I had one really fun moment today with my friend Dounia, who is thirteen and has the voice of Barbara Streisand, she needs all my support and luckily today my lovely friend Bhesat was on true form and instead of pilates he spent his time helping her sing.
Both are brilliant singers, there is so much talent out there.
Friday 5 November 2010
I WILL CHARGE ANY MAN WHO COMES NEAR MY GRUBBY LITTLE PAW
Tuesday 2 November 2010
NEW HOUSE, NEW LIFE
Monday 1 November 2010
RESPECT THE PINEAPPLE
I am moving today from the Connaught Hotel, which is the most comfortable London Hotel you can find. I can't wait to be in my shell bed watching the boats go up and down the River Thames, I am excited and despite the delays I shall be happy to sleep between the sheets in my own bed again. It has been a spin dryer of a year, and I would like to be calm.
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