Meghan and Harry race towards the invisible horizon

When I was little I probably wanted to marry a Prince, Cinderella did after all so why couldn't I? In one's 'salad days' all things seem possible. Perhaps it is a tragedy of the human condition when around our teenage years as we gain independence and begin to construct our view of life that the thought of marrying a Prince becomes less enticing. Anyone with a level head on their shoulders knows that fairy tales are pure fantasy. Crucially, not all damsels make suitable Princesses. Elegance, beauty, sympathy, honour, duty, kindness, bearing perfect children and quasi saintliness are rare attributes and few, if any women possess them all. The late Princess Diana came close to encompassing the above but as we know, her fairy tale evaporated with time. 

Diana and Prince Charles did themselves few favours when they appeared in those ghastly interviews spilling their guts but they did prove that they were fallible just like the rest of us. However by providing a bit too much information, both Diana and Charles came out looking less 'royal' and more 'alley cat'. Confessions of adultery and in Diana's case, promiscuity, are nothing to bleat about in public. One day Charles will be the Head of the Church of England yet confessed to trampling over several of the Ten Commandments. The new 'royal' therefore is a hybrid of  shared imperfections but with bucketloads of privilege and entitlement thrown in. More importantly, they must earn our respect otherwise we would not indulge them as we do.

Princess Diana was very much the catalyst for the new 'royals' we see today. She didn't stamp her feet hoping to revolutionise the Monarchy but because she was painfully unhappy in her marriage. Diana forced Charles' adultery out into the open in an act of revenge but did she destroy the Monarchy? There was certainly a discernable wobble when a surge of public sadness and anger at Diana's death threatened to overwhelm the Crown but to this day, it is our respect for the Queen which continues to sustain the Monarchy.  Had she been wiser during her lifetime, Diana would have understood that her revenge was an own goal. Despite her actions, the Queen endured, the instituion endured and not unbelievably, most Brits like having the Monarchy around. The Crown reminds us of tradition and history, a reminder of who we are and some might say, of how great we used to be. Who could not admire the Queen for her tremendous sense of duty? She has never faltered in her promise to dedicate her life to us. In no small measure, Prince Philip has played a huge part in supporting the Queen to whom he has been a 'strength and stay'. 

A quarter of a century after Diana's death, we arrive at the burning question: so, why did Meghan Markle marry Harry? If the answer isn't glaringly obvious, permit me to clarify: Ms Markle in all her confectioned and alarmingly plastic physiognomy, didn't marry in order to honour and respect the institution which is as instrinsic to Britishness as is milky tea. Surely there are hidden tribes even in the Amazon who have heard of Diana and her unhappiness? Ms Markle would have known about the Royal Family, its shenannigans, tantrums and tiaras like the rest of the world. She would have known that Diana, the innocent, doe-eyed virgin bride had had her life torn apart because she couldn't conform with what was expected of her (to tolerate her husband's infidelity). Ms Markle would have known that marrying into an historic institution is a bit more serious than a drunken hitch up in Vegas. Despite what she now claims she never knew, Ms Markle's tawdriness and tackiness will culminate tonight in that interview with Oprah, Patron Saint of those who simply must tell their 'truth' no matter what. Please observe carefully the difference between recounting one's perceived version of events and the truth. I won't be watching. There are too many people I know and love whose lives have been ruined by Covid, those who lost jobs, relatives, who have considered suicide, who have not had a hug, confined and housebound for over a year, those who have lost their livelihoods and cannot contemplate the future. Will I indulge Ms Markle and her meal ticket? No. Will the Monarchy survive Ms Markle? Yes. 

Photo copyright SvD 

Reincarnation where you least expect it ...

 

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Stodge, the stuff of dreams

Homemade apple pie and pocket cabbage pies to keep warm.

Photos copyright SvD.

Think about the result of your actions

 

From my office window on the third floor!

Photo copyright SvD.

Our crazy world

This year has certainly been the most surreal I can remember. On 16 March, the Notaire where I was working as a clerk, packed up boxes of files and we all left the building not knowing when we would be back. The night before, President Macron had told us live on TV that from the next day, we were to 'stay at home'. He wasn't asking politely.

For several weeks I was able to leave the house only to walk the dogs within a small radius around the house, go to the nearest supermarket and that was it. The road where I live was unusually quiet, there was no one anywhere to be seen.

The disease remains an enigma and untamed. We now all wear masks although at work I conveniently rip mine off when I'm in my private office. My colleagues all do the same.

The most insidious part of this plague is how we are beginning to treat each other. A whiff of suspicion now pervades the air. The French, normally so tactile and full of compliments, have become stone cold. The problem of course is the mask which conceals almost all of the face. Impossible to tell is someone is smiling or snarling. Harassed and worried about catching a deadly virus, no one wants to spend time with anyone. Forget socialising or going out for a meal. It feels wrong and uncomfortable to be too near or within spitting distance of someone who could send you into a deadly coma. As a keen and competent cook I prefer to stay at home. I can control the hygiene in my kitchen and that suits me better. 

My little dogs don't see any difference to their routine and like this cat near my office, spend most of their time fast asleep.

However we homo sapiens tend to be conscious enough during our daylight hours to worry about the state of the world. US politics? Scream!! The state of the economy? Bigger scream!! The absurd political correctness we are being made to follow? Scream again! Virtue signalling celebrities with approximately one brain cell each who want to tell us what to do and think? More screaming!! I totally despair at the world today and am frankly amazed that anyone would want to bring children into this insane and extremely dangerous farcical environment. In a future not that far away, we will have no record of our history visible on the streets - no statues, no monuments and no memorials - lest they offend someone. We will be forcibly injected with a vaccine for the virus. There will be mass unemployment. Mental health, all the rage now, will become the next biggest disease as thousands if not millions find themselves not only unemployed but unemployable. Business will change forever: how they trade, how they provide services, where they are located. Many businesses are literally doomed except those which offer essential services. The local hairdresser has better job prospects than most!

During the lockdown here if France, online sales took off like a rocket. The French, normally sniffy about the internet, suddenly realised its one great attraction - no human physical human contact so little chance of catching COVID and pure convenience.  Let's just ponder on those two:

No human physical contact: when I was a student in Bordeaux, the local postman used to bring letters from my dad up to my flat and stop in for a coffee and a cigarette. The postman used to help me out by slipping letters under my door if I wasn't in instead of putting them in the communal post box or signing for a recorded delivery so I didn't have to traipse all the way to the post office. Small gestures done out of kindness will most likely disappear. Tragically for us all, these gestures make us human.

Pure convenience: the ego will have well and truly landed when everything is done for personal convenience. 'I want and therefore I am' is already the new mantra. I'm in the middle of reading a book written by a Frenchman who was sent down into the mines at age 12. He never got to live 'his truth' but the strength of his character hewn from deprivation is awe inspiring. As a child he used to be mesmerised by the stars in the sky but as a miner he hardly got to see them. That state of mind to just get on with life has already been lost forever. Now we are all entitled to everything we want.

Is there anything to look forward to? Ironically the best things in life aren't physical objects but are inside our heads. Strength of character, courage, striving to become a better human being, understanding the difference between what we want and what is needed according to the requirements of the time. The question is, are you up for the challenge? And do you understand that the only person who can help you achieve those things is yourself? Good luck!

Photo copyright SvD.

Be careful what you wish for

The world we know has changed beyond recognition this year with the virus and its impact on the world economy. I've been here before when my successful career in London was so severely impacted by the financial crash that I had to reinvent myself in order to survive. In the darkest days, the last thing on my mind would have been rushing to share my plight on social media or posing half naked on Instagram. Who does that and why? Why is the approbation of complete strangers a necessity? How does that make an individual self aware? 

My faith provided solace when confronted with challenges that I found too difficult to surmount on my own. Faith, along with age and experience, helped me discover a well of inner strength. I understand that a positive outlook and mental self sufficiency mean that bad experiences can't tear me down. A strong, independent mind is the antidote to having my ego massaged. I would literally be too embarassed to consider the 'like' button the gauge of whether I have credibility as a  person. I couldn't care less because social media doesn't define me.

For years I actively engaged on Twitter until I found it a mouthpiece for the vapid Left who have more rights than duty to anyone. I occasionally open the Twitter app on my 'phone but I don't quite see the point of mouthing off about anything because as the French say, the more it changes, the more it remains the same. In other words, idiots will remain idiots with idiotic notions and the new vogue is self indulgent political correctness otherwise known as righteous indignation.

Unwittingly, social media 'influencers' have sold their soul to the highest bidder. If you have integrity, oodles of self respect and know yourself, the thought of massive popularity is as hollow as a spent bullet. Life is about relationships, not necessarily romantic but how we interact with each other. Just look at the popular social influencers, do they have successful relationships? No, they've objectified themselves completely and will hardly with the Nobel peace prize for trying to make the world a better place. None of their endeavours is aimed at encouraging others to become better human beings.  The glossy veneer of an  'influencer' conceals the darkness of their own gross insecurity and inadequacy. The façade is a means of controlling the narrative (oh, yes, this new expression, smacks of complete desperation). How exhausting must it be to feast off neediness, the oxygen in their veins! Try having an intellectual conversation about the meaning life with a social influencer and they'll offer up some regurgitated gobbledygook about 'living your truth' (translated this means absolve yourself of all responsibility and be ruthless in every aspect of your life).

Let's look at it another way. Where's the intellectual argument in #BLACK LIVES MATTER? Or #METOO? #WHITEPRIVILEGE? Surprise, surprise, there isn't one. All three movements are about a stomping of feet, a disingenuous moaning based on the next bandwagon. Sooner or later the bandwagon, a temporary means of self promotion, becomes a slow boat to nowhere. #Feminism, for example, gave women emancipation by casting off the stereotypes but the reverse meant that most men now expect women to be financially independent. Women have been left wondering what they need a man for? And the average bloke is totally emasculated, his balls would be literally ripped off if he asked a female to go back to his place to 'look at his DVD collection'. No wonder that the new rage of #Trans is actually a melding of the male into the female and vice versa because the stereotypes have been shattered. 

We, in the West have never had it so good, like the spoilt child with too many toys he never knows which one to choose. So he starts wailing and stomping his feet. Sound familiar?

Photo copyright SvD.

When wildlife is far more interesting than homo sapiens

Sometimes going for a walk is more inspiring than reading the news. The animal kingdom is full of wonder and I'm grateful to be filled with awe when for example, I come across this little fella in his armoury crossing the road as if he has all the time in the world:

Or this little guy who has taken up residence with his mates/family on my terrace. Watching him catch flies is sort of miraculous:

Much more interesting than politics, celebrities, #LeftWingLunatics, don't you think?

Both of these creatures carries on about their business without fanfare or calling the paparazzi. They just are. A lesson to us all perhaps?

Photos copyright SvD.