Pierrefeu, late September

Pierrefeu view
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

There'll be a break from my random and very erratic postings for a week while I go here! Warm weather, rosé on tap and a dial-up web connection. God, that modem squeal...

And, if the sun stays out, you might spot me staked out here.

A new entrant to the Blogosphere!

My best friend has decided to give this blogging lark a go. A big round of applause for Rainy Day Dog Blog! Not sure what it'll be called when/if the sun comes out...

9/11 - 5 years on

I haven't blogged for ages but with tomorrow's anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers, I wanted to publish something I wrote the day after 9/11 five years ago. And I wanted to attach this picture specifically as it was, more or less, the view downtown I had from my appartment on West 14th St when I lived in NYC in 1990. 11 years later that view was changed forever.

Anyway, here's what I wrote in 2001...

I woke early on the morning of 12 September. Anna and I were staying in an old farmhouse in the South of France, a couple of miles from Cotignac, one of those picture-book villages you think about if you’ve read A Year in Provence – all plane trees, fountains and chiming church bells.

Only the previous afternoon, we’d heard the awful news about what was happening in New York City and had spent the evening with friends trying to make sense of what we were hearing from the BBC’s World Service radio. The short wave signal came and went, almost in time with the gusts of the mistral rattling the windows and rustling fitfully through the olive trees.

I didn’t sleep well. We had only had phone calls from friends at home and the BBC correspondents to describe the scenes in the US and, when I woke at 6 or so, my first thought was to drive down to the village to get papers so I could see what I had only imagined so far.

It was chilly at 06.30 but shops were open and the cafes were already doing a brisk trade in early morning coffees for folk like me, heading for the boulangerie and paper shop. The mood in the newsagents was sombre though. I was stunned at the images I saw – orange flames blooming from the sky-scrapers and people in suits, clutching briefcases and mobile phones, but white with a covering of ash, looking like extras in some weird B-movie. Then, on every page, the picture of the jet-liner – the same type my brother flies – heading, nightmarishly, inevitably, for one of the Twin Towers.

The young man behind the counter in the paper shop seemed as shocked as I was. But there, in this tiny village, tucked under the cliffs of the Bessillon hills, he had created his own tribute to what we were seeing thousands of miles away. He told me he’d visted Manhattan some years before and had taken one of those long, panoramic-style photos of the downtown area. And there, right in the middle, was the World Trade Centre, the twin tours dominating the centre of his picture. ‘Voila’, he said, pointing out the photo sitting squarely on his till, ‘That’s a bit of history now. But that’s how I’ll remember New York.’

So, as I walked round the corner to the gloomy warmth of the village church to say a prayer for those around the world who would be affected by all that happened on Tuesday 11^th September, I realised that that his words and that small gesture of remembrance would form my abiding memory of those few days. And, for once I didn’t need the internet, wall-to-wall TV and the addiction of following a big news story hour-by-hour. It was enough to have shared a few words with a stranger in the chill of a provencal morning, had a coffee with my papers, bought my bread and gone home.

Merry Blogging Christmas!

The tree
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

Happy Christmas from Glasgow! Fun and games over the Festive season included these highlights:-

• A tree which was over four feet tall this year (see right)
• Cooking a Christmas lunch for seven with the world's largest turkey, and getting it (almost) right
• Watching the kids' faces when they opened their presents - especially Emma's 'Visual Encyclopedia'
• JP's amazing Christmas Eve meal and Magnus helpless with giggles trying to tell a long, rather naughty and actually not very funny joke
• Flying to London after Christmas and seeing Holly and Jamie run towards me in their wee red jumpers
• Snow on Christmas Day!
• Emma and I winning Disney Trivial Pursuit on DVD. (How sad is that?)

It was a great time with all the family - on both sides. However, even as we put leftovers in tupperware and took our bottles to the recycling area, the awful events in South East Asia were unfolding. I'm about to go to the Disasters Emergency Committee to donate money and help bring aid to the area. If your Christmas was as good as mine, go there too and give what you can.

It's Official - nearly 50% of Americans say sorry

One of the nicest sites I've seen a long time. Americans - or at least 49% of them - say 'Sorry Everybody' for the events of the 2nd of November. We appreciate your sentiments.

What are you doing?

It's Bloggercon today! Go here now to read all about it.

Move along now. Nothing to see here...

Culture Clash

University Avenue, Palo Alto
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

What would you rather have? Borders or a 1930s cinema? And what, indeed, does this say about how we entertain ourselves in 21st Century?

But enough musings... Here I am in Palo Alto, wrestling with the inconsistencies of my BBC laptop and its on/off relationship with my log-in account.

Today was spent emailing, printing out masses of documents from work so that I can read and comment by Sunday night (I actually bought a pack of paper for the hotel printer at reception, I felt so embarassed at hogging it for 45 minutes in order to print out 25 documents) and doing the odd bit of shopping. Went a bit mad buying things for my nieces and nephew. Nothing too expensive - Spongebob toothbrushes, Hello Kitty plasters, weirdly-flavoured lipsalve - stuff they can't get at home.

And tomorrow is Bloggercon and an early start. Need to go and power up my multiple gadgets so that I can capture as much as I can without resorting to analogue paper and pen.

Oh, and eat... Now, I’m as open to new food experiences as the next person. I’ve tried grits and wee tomatoes in jelly and stuff like that (that’s what living in Atlanta does for you) but here’s a taste sensation in crisps I never thought I’d try – and, frankly, don’t intend to again. Lime flavour??? I suppose it’s a fatty, crunchy version of the salt-on-back-of-the-hand and suck-of-lime tequila experience. But I think you should know it doesn’t go with French white wine…

Here I am at 35,000 feet...

Flying over California
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

…on a relatively quiet flight to San Francisco, with the Well Being radio channel in my ear, playing a mixture of Irish flute and whale noise.

I have managed to commandeer a whole middle row to myself and have decided to hammer away on the laptop for a bit – at least until the battery begins to falter – instead of watching the array of movies on offer in the seatback screen in front of me.

Awake at 04.00 – isn’t that always the way when the alarm is actually set for 5.15? –for the first BA flight down to Heathrow and now awaiting my no-doubt delicious gluten-free lunch. The cocktail trolley has been and gone (gin and tonic, since you ask…) and now the wine trolley is here (white Bordeaux).

Talking of which, how’s this for pretention gone badly, badly wrong? Years ago I made a film about wine, shooting in Bordeaux and the Corbieres region of France . Having travelled through the country with wine expert, Oz Clarke, tasting merrily and learning lots, I flew home with Air France from Bordeaux. The drinks trolley came round and I asked for a glass of red. Following the tradition of the previous few weeks’ filming, I lifted the small plastic tumbler to my nose to give it a good sniff and managed to inhale a large nose-ful causing me to choke, expel a significant amount onto my shirt and generally look a complete fool. Now, I bypass the nose malarkey and go straight to the mouth…

Gluten-free lunch was basically a fish-fest. Salmon salad (x 2, oddly) as starter(s) followed by baked cod. As my second fishy starter arrived, I asked – innocently – what the gluten-free pudding was. It appears that us weirdo, dietary freaks don’t get a dessert. But, two salmon starters were a bonus. And I had bought a packet of Cadbury’s Chocolate Buttons and they certainly did the trick, sugar-wise.

PS Actually, this picture probably wasn't taken at 35,000 feet as I THINK it's the Cascades and we're well into our descent over Northern California. Anyone recognise it??

The People have Spoken

And no one in this country can quite believe what they've said. In voting Bush back in, I have to ask myself if the American people are HAPPY to be lied to? They're content to let this happen for four more years?

We're trying to understand it - but it's hard...

And you have to figure the country will be even more divided than it already is. And even more isolated from the rest of the World. A sad day for what used to be a great Nation.

Sex for Votes scandal

I know it's often hard to get folk to go out and vote in the US but surely this is taking incentives to extremes?No sex unless you vote, darling ...

Morning in St Clair.

Morning in St Clair.
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

This is where I was a month ago today, at about this time. St Clair beach, near Le Lavandou in the South of France.

Weather in Glasgow today - dull, damp, autumnal.

Mmm. Where would I rather be?

Ever been flown by a six year-old?

A flying boy!
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

Here is my small nephew, taking the helm of a Piper Cherokee when we went flying over the South coast of England on Saturday afternoon. Okay, he was only in control for a minute or so (felt longer, believe me…) and my brother (ex RAF, currently Boeing pilot) was keeping a very close eye on him but I thought this picture was a bit of a hoot. Note, if you will, the top of his teddy bear’s head in his lap. What pilot do YOU know who flies with a bear called Barnaby?

We took off from Shoreham Airport, the UK’s oldest commercial one, it would appear. It has an amazing thirties feel to it and lots of small aircraft and helicopter activity. We flew out towards the Channel, over Brighton and then inland to the South Downs before heading back. It was a real kick. For me and my niece and nephew. And for someone who generally doesn’t like flying, that’s saying something.

Here's where I'd rather be...

Plage Notre Dame
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

It's cold in London and rain threatens. Here's an option.

Half an hour from Pierrefeu and a ten-minute ferry ride. Hire a bike, cycle through the sandy tracks amongst the pine forest and you're here.

On the map it's the Ile de Porquerolles. I call it heaven.

Sloe Gin recipe

It's that time of year. Here's my brother's patented sloe gin recipe.

Gather the berries before the first frost from lovely English hedgerows - ideally before everyone else gets there.

Wash them and put them in the freezer for one night. This simulates the first frost of the year and makes them juicier and makes them more permeable to the gin (you can tell he's a scientist...).

Take one empty gin bottle. Fill two thirds with berries, add a generous handful of sugar (getting less scientific now) and same again of sliced almonds.

Top up with gin. Shake daily over the course of one week. Leave for three months. Sieve out all solids and filter into another bottle.

Store until the next Christmas at which point you can delight your friends with this delicious beverage. (If you've not had had this before, it's best drunk as a digestif or liqueur.) Slainte!

World on Fire

Courtesy of Stupid Simple Blog, I bring you the new Sarah McLachlan video. Now I like Sarah M but this video really sticks with you. And, as my company enters a soul-searching look at value for money, the captions about the kind of things Hollywood pays for as standard in any of its productions, compared to what that money could buy in the real world are pretty thought-provoking. Oh, and it's a good tune too. Check it out.

Soups I have Loved

The easiest - and tastiest - Minestrone Soup you'll ever make. And from an authentic Italian, my Mum's friend, Gemma.

Gemma's Minestrone Soup

Fry 3 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 onions in olive oil for about 2 mins. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and cook, covered, for a further five mins. Add 4 carrots, , broccoli, cabbage, parsnip, mushrooms (any veg really), leek, peppers or whatever and a tin of baked beans. Add a chicken stockcube. Simmer for 3/4 of an hour and add a handful of pasta (small conchiglie or macaroni) towards the end.

Serve with lashings of freshly-grated parmesan and a light red wine (a Beaujolais or Gamay de Touraine).

A chum at work has blagged a recipe from his super-talented girlfried for Beetroot soup which I might regale you with another time. Any other suggestions from the Soup Massive?

Quite literally...

People say the funniest things (copyright: Reader's Digest (c) 1972). Consider these:

- I quite literally laughed my head off

- I quite literally jumped out of my skin

- Quite literally, you could have knocked me down with a feather

What does this MEAN? Answer: nothing.

But it's quite literally one of the most amusing things you hear folk say. Keeps me giggling anyway...

The 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of Pierrefeu

D Day – in Provence

The siren went off at exactly 6 o’clock in Pierrefeu. In this little Provençal village, the prompt timekeeping was impressive in itself. But the crowd flocking towards the centre of the village was also something I hadn’t seen before – young and old, teenagers, grandmothers and tots in pushchairs.

Monday, the 16th of August was sixty years to the day since Pierrefeu was liberated in World War 2. The previous day had seen the pomp and ceremony of medal-giving by President Chirac, fly-pasts by the French equivalent of the Red Arrows and re-enactments of the landings on the beaches along the Var coastline. These had been led by sections of the American and French armies (made up, mainly, of African troops from France’s colonies), almost ten weeks after D Day in Normandy. The fanfare over, it was now time for this village of five thousand souls to commemorate its own little piece of history.

I managed to get a prime spot by the main road at a little table in the Bar Central (aka Chez Michelle) and ordered a glass of chilled rosé as I prepared my camera and notebook to capture the events of the evening.

It was the older folk I was watching. The old lady who sits, knitting, at the narrow house at the foot of the old village had just walked by. She’s the one who’s kind of the village grandmother. Everyone talks to her and she has a faltering, rather fractured french as if she has trouble talking. I wondered what she made of it all.

A woman of loose morals is liberated
Originally uploaded by Blue Blanket.

A few minutes after the siren, a motley selection of jeeps, ambulances and troop carriers drove through town, manned by locals in period dress and sometimes carrying rather unlikely-looking passengers, like the small boy wielding a rifle and a lady of a ‘certain age’ whose costume suggested she might have been more at home at the Moulin Rouge…

After some waving and cheering, it appeared we were liberated! Michelle who runs the bar told me that, actually, it took almost as long sixty years ago. There were a few shots from the bank opposite the café and a cannon was fired at – or from, she wasn’t sure - Chateau Something-or-Other. And that was it, really. Funny, as my elderly neighbour, Simone, had a different tale, speaking of bombings that made everyone scurry for their wine cellars and attempted sabotage of bridges. And a builder I’ve met talked of only hearing distant gunfire from miles away towards the coast.

But, having done my Liberation homework, these diverging accounts sort of sum up the war in Occupied France for those who lived through it. No one has quite the same story or the same recollections.

What is not in dispute, though, is the impact on the village of having its menfolk deported to snowy labour camps in Germany or the tragedy of losing those who died at the start of the war or in the resistance fighting around the area in 1944. Down by the Mairie a little exhibition about the Liberation contained various archive letters, documents and newspapers of the time as well as authentic accounts from surviving ‘resistants’ who were present. I was gratified to read that, on the day the village was liberated on the 16th August, it was the Quartier Sainte Croix (where my house is!) which took the lead in the revelries, initiating a rousing, acapella version of La Marseillaise ‘au milieu d’applaudissements frénétiques’. The crowd then processed down to the market square and partied on until the small hours.

Which was exactly what appeared to be on the cards sixty years on. A Glenn Miller Tribute band wowed the clientele of the Café de Commerce while several villagers gave an energetic – and impromptu - jiving demonstration around the now-parked jeeps. Later, after a firework display, which would have given Edinburgh at Hogmanay a run for its money, the crowds partied on in the market square and the sounds of Europop boomed around the village hillside.

What I remember from the evening, though, was not the sound and fury of the disco or the fireworks. It was the old folk of the village quietly walking around the exhibition at the Town Hall, pointing out old friends in the blurry black and white pictures and recalling those who didn’t come back. And the story told by the elderly resistance fighter who, as the eldest son, was more or less sent off to join the Maquis by his father. He tearfully remembered his father’s parting words to him. ‘You were born in this country, you will free this country. Don’t be rash but be brave. And come home again.’

Things I've noticed about blogs and bloggers

I've been doing my research since I had my blog epiphany last Friday. First off, I can reliably report that most folk's reaction to the creation of these web wanderings are variously:

- Don't put your photo up there, for God's sake! Anyone could see it!

- Okaaaay. That's a bit geeky, isn't it?

- What on earth do you write about? (Still trying to figure that one out myself...)

- Why don't you just send an email to people if you want to tell them what you're up to?

Mock posts from cynics include:

Dear Blog

Today I went to work. Talked to some people and did some emails. Had lunch. Planned my hotel and flights to California and bragged about foreign travel to sceptical colleagues. Anyway, that's all for now.

Bye, Blog.

PS Is anybody out there???

The folk who DO get it have been great and very supportive. (And my huge thanks go to my two expert advisors, Martin and Tom who answer my ridiculously stupid questions and make me feel as I've joined a good club and not a collection of saddos)

But in looking around at what's out there, here are my first impressions of Blogland -

- The ones I pass straight over are the ones which are a bit techie or 'under the bonnet' (that's 'hood' to any US readers) and leave me cross-eyed. Feeds, patches, code - I'll stick to words, thanks.

- The ones I find gripping are the political blogs - although I am yet to find one that supports Bush not Kerry. Not that that's who I back in this Election, but the overwhelming trend in the blogs I've read to date is liberal.

- Also, voyeuristically, I DO enjoy the blogs which just detail the day-to-day of someone's life and links they've found. One I came across today had a great story about Haddock (herring?) farting and how boffins seem to think that this is how they communicate. Hysterical.

- Finally, the real gems are the ones which are totally off the wall or slightly specialist. Try One Million Footnotes ,for example. Posts are simply short, cunningly-crafted sentences which paint amazing pictures in your head and somehow stay with you long after you've logged off.

Blogging. Dontcha love it?

This blogging thing has taken hold

How obsessive am I now becoming? Reading Rebecca Blood's (two) books on how and why to blog, checking out the suggested links and - as of today - sorting out flights, hotels etc to head from cold, rainy Glasgow to sunny Palo Alto, CA for BloggerCon in early November.

I'm fascinated by the political dimension which Dave Winer mentions in his intro to the conference and the timing of the event - just after the US Presidential Election - will make it all the more interesting. Which means, though, that I need to do a bit of background research on the kind of political blogs which are out there. All suggestions gratefully received...

That's one area of interest. The other is my team's experiment with user-generated blogging via Island Blogging. This came about when the islands of North Argyll in Scotland were all given a pc and internet connection by local government. Once they'd worked out how to use the kit, we moved in and suggested they create blogs of their daily lives. While the interface is a bit quick and dirty, the community element of linking island to island, island to mainland Scotland and island to the World has been amazing to watch. It's not until you read comments about wind farms, beached whales or meteor showers from Florida or Australia that you realise how compelling the minutiae of folks' daily lives can be when written down.