I shall miss this place

I just read that Big Cup is closing down at the end of August. I used to really enjoy going there and reading the gaypers with a bran muffin and a big latte. I felt like a proper New Yorker. It always felt like a "local" rather than the corporate coffee shops that are springing up everywhere.

V Festival

Day 1. Weather hot. Top Bands: Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters

Day 2. Weather even hotter. Lots of bad singing, most of these sounded like bad karaoke: Maroon 5, Embrace, Athlete, Zutons, Tom Vek. However Morning Runners, Kaiser Chiefs, Magic Numbers and Polyphonic Spree were excellent.

Scouted 2or 3 really good guys and 2 really pretty girls. Did not snog anyone famous. Did not actually snog anyone.

Very excited, but don't have wellies!

I have just recieved my VIP tickets for this weekends V Festival Last year my friends that went were all hanging out with Jake and Ana from Scissor Sisters. Naturally as I am going along this year we will not catch a glimse of anyone remotely cool and it will rain and I don't have wellies.

I'm not sure it works

I tried to put together that preppy summer look today. Seersucker shorts, lilac button down oxford over white t shirt polo tie as belt, white havaianas. It has divided the office. The girls like it, the gays hated it. I think it would work if I didn't have Jack Osborne hair, but I am being stubborn and refusing to have it cut like the rest of gay London.

I now have MSN Messenger at work. I suspect this may be a bad thing!

More telly, sorry

I don't want this to be a telly blog, but the first two episodes of Lost were screened last night and Flattie and I were glued to the sofa's. The first 10 minutes were compelling and the show looks really promising. Really cute cast, two ex Models, Ian Somerhalder (doesn't really count as he was always about 5'9 and too short to be serious model) and Josh Holloway ( taller proper model) but surely the hottest is Matthew Fox. Totally hot! Flattie liked it so much he stayed up and watched episode three on E4. I bet he tells me key stuff before next Wednesday. Grrr.

I have been avoiding this year's Big Brother, but they managed to sandwich an eviction between the two Losts. The annoying Craig was evicted. Nelly as hell, obsessed with the straight lad with the fit body, he still can't bring himself to say the word gay. Davina asked him if he had come to terms with his sexuality, he said he had and that everyone knew what he was, but he just couldn't say the word. Why not? You seem able to sound off about everything else! Grrr x 2. I really shouldn't watch the show.

It's really hot in London this week. The Johns are having a drinks in their Tardis sized garden on Saturday night. The perky/pesky weather woman Carol said on the BBC this morning that it would rain on Saturday. I wonder if they have made contingency plans? I don't want to mention it as Black John is already stressing about the whole thing.

Elephant, the furniture store on Tottenham Court Road is closing down. It has slashed the prices of it's stock and there is a really brilliant sideboard that I have my eye on. I am off home to measure up and hope that no one will get there before me tomorrow!

Who are they? (And a bit about telly!)

In case you were wondering who Miss Dior and Sharon Stone were.

Did anyone watch that TV programme "Sad To Be Gay"? It was about a 39 year old gay man from the UK who decides to be part of the Love In Action program in order to stop himself from being attracted to men, and to ultimately help him marry a woman, have children and become a family unit. I can't believe that his friends hadn't suggested to him he might go and see a therapist in the UK to discuss his feelings about his adoption, his parents, the abuse he suffered in a childrens home and his subsequent relationships with other gay men. They seemed all for the idea of sending him off to a bunch of brainwashing Christian fundamentalists. Nice mates. Fortunately he was smart enough to realise that Love In Action seems to primarily be a money making scam and had really "cured" anyone of being homosexual, but I was saddened that he had to go all the way to Memphis to find someone to talk through his issues.

The repeatable parts of Brighton

Note to self: If you are planning to get up early, do your chores and catch a 13.30 train to Brighton for Pride, do not listen to Flattie when he is attempting to convince you that a, "cheeky last one in The Sewers" is a good idea. You will have more than one and it won't be cheeky. You will sleep in and not be anywhere near ready to get on a train at 1.30pm. Or 2.30.

My hangover was slightly alleviated by the joy of a clean bathroom/living room/kitchen! Magda the Cleaner came for the first time on Saturday morning and while I slept she worked her magic with scourers and Jif foam. The place glistened and smelled fresh! She is worth every penny.

Newly inspired, I packed an overnight back and headed off to Victoria to catch the train to Brighton. Everyone else had caught earlier trains so I had an hour alone with my iPod and the British Countryside. rather charming. I arrived and took a cab over to the hotel, The Lansdowne Place. Quick bag drop off in the room and then onto the park to meet the rest of the gang. The weather was good and the park was packed. Brighton Pride seems to lack the attitude of it's London counterpart, people are there to have a good time and not to snip or bitch. Before long and after several text messages I had found Grumpy and Mac, and soon we were sipping lagers outside the Wild Fruit Dance Tent. Miss Dior appeared dressed in sparkly white, which I thought perhaps inappropriate for a Festival in a field, but he carried it off. Mac and Grumpy were not feeling it and so they decided to head back to London, I went off to find Sharon Stone and his posse. They were by the cabaret tent where Dame Edna was belting out the tunes.

As the sun set we left the park and walked back into town for the party in Charles Street. Everyone else had the same idea, and the place was packed. We were by the Candy Bar sound system and were soon shaking it all out. I saw quite a few people from London as the crowds moved up and down the street.

We left at 11pm and head over to a club, unfortunately they wouldn't let Sonia in as it was a Man Only Bar, but we managed to pile into The Revenge Bar, just around the corner which was friendly and not too crowded.

There are tales to tell about what happened next, but they are not really my stories to share. Sharon let slip on Sunday morning in and Miss Dior could not restrain him from giving us TOO MUCH DETAIL!!

Sofa so good

After 2 years I have finally got round to buying new sofa's for my living room. Flattie and I have put up with the small yellowy-gold ones that came with the apartment but we both hate them so much, something had to be done. They were two seaters and at 6'1 my legs dangle over the end and Flattie complained that he and his gentleman caller could not get comfortable and intimate. I am slightly worried that having purchased two three seater whoppers I might now have more furniture than room. The Johns were with me to ensure I didn't do my usual trick of buying something impractical and glittery, and they assure me the new ones are stylish and comfortable. I can't link to a picture of them just yet, but if you can wait till around September 20th they should be in situ!

I am definitely reaching a new level of maturity, I went sofa shopping instead of going to the AXM summer party. Greg went, this morning he reported that it was a bit flat and the paparazzi kept shooting people he didn't recognise. (Probably Big Brother rejects!) Greg also went to see London's latest West End flop, "The Man in the Iron Mask". He says the critics were right and it is possibly the worst show he has ever seen. To have the leading man encased in a full face mask for much of the show does seem a bit of a production flaw, all his vocals were muffled and distorted. Apparently it closes on the 20th. I am going to try and see it before the end!!

After the sofa debacle I met up with Iain Mac, Mau Mau, Fox, Adrian, Tan and a couple of others. Tan was in an advanced state of drunkenness and dropped his pint which smashed and drenched me. Mmm, nice beery smelling Jeans and Converse combo! Mau Mau is a make up artist for films and normally has some juicy gossip, but she was a bit down and therefore light on stories. We went onto The Sewers, where it was packed with crew and cast members of Channel 5 soap Family Affairs. They were partying as the show has been axed and they all lose their jobs on Friday. It was Karaoke. Last time Fox backed out when they called him to the stage but buoyed by alcohol he said he would definitely sing if I agreed to join him on stage. Hmmm. Fox chose the Texas hit, "Say What You Want". FYI: Texas is not a big crowd pleaser karaoke-wise. We did our best, Fox doing the lead and me sort of double tracking on the bits I knew. Apparently we sounded quite good, and a couple of people danced, but I would have been happier with my tried and tested, "Love Is In the Air"

Tomorrow is Brighton Pride. Hopefully it will be bright and sunny as I am going down with the kids. Seaside shenanigans!!

Mykonos Donut Riders

Are you ready?

such a civilised evening...

In January when I booked tickets for Fox, Cosgrove and I to see Will Young at the open air concert at Kenwood I had assumed the weather would be good in August. Fortunately I had booked luxury deckchairs and so although there was a torrential downpour at 6pm we were not subjected to a Glastonbury style mud bath. Kenwood is the house where Julia Roberts is filming her period drama and Hugh Grant comes to visit her on set in the movie Notting Hill. It's posh. The people that go to the concerts there take picnics and hampers and wine and champagne. It should be really civilised. Will Young seems to have a lot of women fans in their mid to late forties. These women like to stand up and wave their arms when he sings. This tends to block the view of the people behind. The people with restricted views adopt various tactics, the people behind us threw food, the people to the right of us shouted and swore, "If you don't sit down I'll f**king put you down". I tried to ask the 46 year old with a vest top, bingo wings and combat trousers to sit down politely. I explained we could not see. She grumbled but eventually sat down. Will played "Light My Fire" and up she got. Fine, "Light My Fire" is fairly up tempo and she can jiggle around all she likes. I looked at her back, the droopy flesh wobbling at the back of her arms and waited for the song to finish. It did, but she stayed put, right in the aisle, blocking the view. everyone else that had been standing sat down, she did not. Cosgrove and Fox could sense my rage building. I got up walked down the aisle and placed my 6'1 frame squarely in front of her 5'4 one.
Bingo Wings: Oi, don't be mean. I can't see.
Me: Precisely, and neither can I if you stand there.
BW: Well why don't you stand up.
Me: I am, and I will make sure I stand in front of you until you do the same as everyone else and sit down.
BW: You are horrible.
Me: Yes, I am.
The crowd has now started telling us to "Shhh" and yelling Sit down.
BW's daughter tells her mum to come and sit down. BW goes back to her chair, I turn and go back to mine the audience applaud and the man sat behind me tells his wife that, " That young man was very clever in getting her to sit without being physical." The woman in front of me turns around and says thank you. I blush. Fox and Cosgrove are doubled over trying to contain their laughter.

The actual gig was a bit dull. Will is not the most scintillating live performer, but he can hold a tune and he was on the other side of a small lake so it is tricky to develop a rapport with the crowd.

As we were leaving BW kicked off again. I was a little in front of the boys, but she was next to them and started saying she was going to f**king have me. The boys tried to placate her but she just ranted some more using a ripe selection of expletives. Fox reprimanded her for her vocabulary and then she started going on about she wasn't going to be told to sit down by, "some 20 year old, who should be showing me some respect." I over heard this last comment and was delighted, she thought I was 20!!!! OK it had got quite dark, but still. The boys had caught up with me and BW was just behind us. She would not let it lie. "I'm 46, you should be giving me respect. Where is your mother? I bet she 's not a Will Young concert. Yeah, I'm 46 and I've still got it." Unfortunately this just made us laugh even more. I was itching to turn round and explain that respect is something that needs to be earned and a 46 year old dressing and behaving like a 14 year old just doesn't qualify in my book, but I decided that it was best just to let her witter on as her failure to get a rise from me seemed to be annoying her more!