(no subject)

[susie_flo]

I appear to have been possessed by someone who gets up at 7:45 am on a Sunday.   (The upside of this is that I can stand alone in my kitchen, listening to raindrops on the wndow and playing illicit Suzi Quattro and drinking coffee....  this be contentment).

This week I'm also slightly addicted to Kristin Hersh's Learn to Sing Like a Star (spotty link).  It's all warm strumming and unbearably beautiful string melodies.  Perfect Sunday music.   (Unfortunately I may have now ruined it for G by pointing out that she sounds a bit "Clareesh Shtarrling" in places).

Today I have one major task to do - and this is to organise our holiday.  I suspect this really will take all day...   cos we're planning to do a random train bimble to Northern Italy via France.  And we're totally anal and will probably crash the tripadvisor site reviewing every potential destination and hotel.  (G actually sent me an Outlook meeting request for this task.)  Any suggestions for good places to visit en route would be delightful.  How about Avignon?  Am also vaguely tempted to do a diversion to Marseille, which means we might see more France and less Italy.  (Have any of you been?  Do tell, if so.)

Moving on... 

I saw Inception last night and thought it was rather fab.   I mean, yeah.... I could waffle boringly about the obv comparisons but I can't be bothered cos I enjoyed it in a very uncomplicated way.   It pressed my big-budget-skiffy-romp buttons.

I've hardly been drinking any booze lately (as in - I have been boozing a bit, but not sinking my entire week's worth of units in red wine every nght).  No idea why, but I'm sure it's v. good for me and my midriff   ...and it may explain my newfound awareness that 7:45am is an actual time of day and not the-middle-of-the-night.

Yesterday I was reminded about the insane world of socal networking in the art world.   (I haven't been on the painting forums for a while, but the art scene on facebook appears to be just as nuts).  Hissy Fits? C'est Nous! 

Well this is all very vacuous isn't it?  I'm sure I had loads of stuff to say.  I've been storing up groundbreaking thoughts all week.  Where did they go?

Oh well.  I have one last Q.  Does anyone know of any decent blogs that talk about confectionery / chocolate / truffles /etc?  (Ideally with recipes and stuff, as opposed to company PR-type blogs)

Sending spectacular Sunday wishes your way.
Love from Me

Comments

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Ooh we're toying with the idea of a sleeper train to somewhere in the south of France as our anniversary trip next year so if your research comes up with anything to either go for/avoid like plague please let me know.

As for Suzi Quatro? do you fantasise about wearing a leather catsuit whilst you sing?

Don't know any blogs but my partner in all manner of crime the lovely but very naughty indeed Richard has become addicted to the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Channel and bought all her books via the tinternet as a result - he swears by her, quite literally as he often refers to her as the 'bareback cunt-eater' :-) but seriously he says her recipes once you've translated them from american are brilliant and she does all sorts of chocolate based things too.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Am a big ball of dither re: where to go on this hol. I wish I had more insider knowledge.

One area I can recommend from a couple of years ago is the southeast corner of France. You can go down to Nice and then use the local trains to hop between lovely places like Cannes, Antibes and Monte Carlo - all of which are about 20 mins away, it''s fab.

Thanks for the tip re: contessa - I shall look her up!

(And yes, I also imagine myself with an oversized guitar and silver platforms)

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

Oooh - a map!
http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-trains/tgv-bordeaux-south-west/tgv-bordeaux-schedule-ticket-prices.htm#DESTINATION

I've never been properly down to the south of France but have travelled along the right-hand bit of this map to get to Switzerland. Very pretty. One of mum's best friends lived with a French man in Provence for a while so mum's been and really loved it.

There are a few nice places along the 'left hand' route, including Poitiers, Carcassonne (full of amazing medieval ruins) and Perpignan which mum has visited and says is gorgeous. Avignon, Narbonne and Aix also. Plus the route along the coast looks like it would be stunning. It looks like if you carry on around the coast you can go through Cannes and Nice to get to Italy along the line that goes to Genoa. The coast is legendary - that looks like a fantastic journey.

The only other bit of advice is, do NOT stop in the railway station at Lyon, it has an awful reputation for scumminess.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks K, we've now spent a ridiculous amount of time working out a route and have come up with an insane schedule. (Avignon, then Nice, then coastal train to Santa Margherita, then up to Bergamo, Lake Garda and finally Verona, then home).

Some of this is not definite yet - it's dependent on getting bookings and not having second thoughts... (or going bankrupt!)

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

It sounds wonderful.