Chips Channon

Every year I read the ‘Chips’ Channon diaries. For readers who don’t know him, he was a major light on the London aristocratic social scene in the 1930’s and 40’s and he chronicles an age that does not exist anymore. This was a world of country house weekends, London balls, bibelots, champagne and excess – the world of Emerald Cunard and Diana Cooper. He was an MP for 25 years, though did nothing of any significance there. The gift he had was to be able to gossip, absorb and digest acute observations and then write them in his diaries. I can best describe them as ‘discretely indiscreet’. Perhaps the best thing about him – and one of the key reasons for his lack of political success – was his backing of wrong horses. Munich, Chamberlain, Butler and so on. He did grow to love Churchill but was well aware of Churchillian weaknesses which we tend to have forgotten in his recent (and of course wholly justified) deification.

I say all this because I awoke at 5.30am this morning, minus bed partner and opened his diaries for their annual read. Two hours of bedded bliss before the children demanded cartoons, cereal and general entertainment. I must admit that I could have quite happily spent the day in bed reading. Nonetheless in one hour I washed the floor, loaded the washing machine, did last night’s washing up, emptied the cat tray and prepared lunch before dropping Lily at school and Izzy at the child-minders. And so here I sit at 10.00am on Friday morning guiltily wondering whether to go back to bed and read or to work. The puritanical side of me knows what the answer will be. Shame.

Talking of reading, my heart always sinks when someone hands me a book and says ‘you will love this’. However, what it does do is help you understand how other people see you. My father sees an image of me that has never changed. He recently said those fateful words while handing me a book ‘Penguins at Play’ by the late Harry Thompson. I had read his excellent biography of Peter Cook but I found this tedious and cricketing-cliché ridden. I am not much interested in a ‘man’s world’ – public school types playing cricket in Argentina and Antarctica. I wish he stopped to think for a moment that I am not like him. He for instance does not like Chips Channon because he disagrees with him and cares not for Chips's vanity. I rather enjoy reading about people and opinions I disagree with. Far more mentally enriching than re-enforcing your own ‘world-view’ all the time.

No musical recommendation today. I will enjoy the peace.