What should it be – head in the sand, the clouds or head in a mess?

World news right now is a pretty frightening menu of war, recession, Jan 6, climate (not) change, and Jacinda Arden bashing by the main stream media. The anti vaxers are out in very small numbers and don’t seem to quite know that they are protesting about. Sometimes it’s vaccine mandates, which no longer apply, sometimes it the Three Waters Proposal, the they admit they haven’t read… and sometimes it just well, seems like they need to get out. In addition, I feel like we will be wearing red dresses and white bonnets in our daily lives in the near future.

Well as Offred wrote inside her wardrobe, Nolite the bastardes carborundum, or “Don’t let the bastards grind you down”

I was forced to learn Latin at school and could well have used the (made up) phrase above during my Latin classes. It’s hard though, when there are so many bastards around trying to bring things down.

It’s always good to have a laugh though. Target’s fashion crimes made for hilarious Twitter reading.

Admittedly it was during the pandemic but it still hasn’t run its comedic course yet in the light of recent events.

Unfortunately, I’m not good at the head-in-the -sand approach, or at least only temporarily while eating homemade Anzac biscuits and binge-watching, This Is going To Hurt or Queen (not The Crown). Queen is about an older Parisian Tailor who is also a renowned drag queen. He is lured back to his native Poland by his granddaughter to help her sick mother.

This Is Going To Hurt is not for the squeamish as there’s plenty of blood on the floor and on Adam’s scrubs and shoes and pubic hair. Vomit has a few cameo appearances too. The series is based on the best seller of the same name by a young registrar in the NHS system in Britain, Adam Kay. It is based on his experiences as a junior doctor, where parking the car takes a couple of hours to pay off at work. Adam didn’t stick to medicine and now writes comedy scripts for well-known series like Mrs Brown and also does the circuit as a stand up comedian. While it is witty and fun to watch, there is certainly a message about the grinding expectations of all medical staff in a struggling UK health system and remember, this was written pre-covid. Ben Wishaw plays an endearing/ arrogant Adam Kay and the head nurse, Michele Austin, and other junior doctor, Ambika Mod are both absolute standouts. The whole cast is very strong.

However, like a sugar hit, these escapist series don’t last. I’m compelled by my brain to watch/read CNN, The Guardian, Stephen Colbert (brilliant), NYT, etc etc. and all that bad news can’t be good for me.

As always, I turn to Alain de Botton for some ideas. I try to only watch once a week but I haven’t managed it yet.

So I donate to causes I think are changing things for some, e.g. The Aunties and the Labour Party. And enjoy watching Willis and Luxon making themselves look incredibly stupid at Parliamentary question time.

Laughter can be the best medicine so if you are on Twitter, have a giggle at #Ask Christopher.

On balance, my head is mostly in a mess so spending time with my head in the clouds (like ordinary blue sky clouds (not the storage thing that I have yet to really understand) is good too. As you know, I am off to France next week so booking tickets to things I want to do is a great escape.

I’ve booked to do a self-guided tour of the Paris Opera House, and a specific time and day to see the Dior Gallery. If you aren’t skipping off to Paris and haven’t haven’t seen the film, Haute Couture, it is a lovely way to spend and afternoon at the movies. It won’t necessarily last long in the memory but that’s the point really.

I admit I’m not an opera fan but I’m interested in the architecture. I like a bit of gold and bling. I am also thinking of going to the Opera Bastille. A friend told me about the world-wide competition for the architect.

Opera Bastille

The project was initiated in 1982 by president François Mitterrand who wanted a modern and popular opera, to give a lighter feel to the programme of the l’Opera Garnier. It was built by architect Carlos Ott, winner of an international competition to which over 1700 architects submitted plans. The entries were anonymous and Ott was a very young architect without a “team” to support the project so apparently he chose young architects from France to join him. Like all architecture, it was a controversial choice.

Apart from frocks and architecture, very high on the agenda will be the food… so that can occupy a great deal of head-in the- clouds time.

I really hope that Petit Louis is still operating on the Plateau De Sault as his restaurant is a special one where all the meat and many ingredients are grown on the farm there. And he is such a character. The above review was earlier this year so fingers crossed. Seen below, Louis is doing his party trick of pouring wine from his forehead, down his nose and into his mouth. He then pours it on the forehead of chosen customers. Woe betide if you don’t open your mouth as the wine then simply splashes all over you.

My final way of coping with the media is to knit and knit and knit.

I have had my second booster and it’s Friday, fish and chip night so all is well and only 11 sleeps to go. I’ve downloaded an easy read onto my phone, packed the Imodium, and I’m booked in for nails, hair and osteo. The yoghurt now expires after I leave and the weather forecast nearly goes as far as when we arrive.

I don’t think I need to practise, “May I have an oat milk, decaf latter SVP” as it might turn out to be a humiliating big fat, “Quoi??” but hey the croissants should be good.

Au revoir, FG

Oh and a good day today -new Health system, great trade deal secured by the PM, first black woman on the Supreme Court and Luxon overseas looking for ideas.

Not all bad then.