Barbie

I hadn’t really noticed my daughter’s birthday presents until yesterday. I was cooking lunch when I saw her playing with a doll dressed in tight fighting black gear and carrying what appeared to a whip. And there it was - ‘Dominatrix Barbie’ – converting innocent 7 year old minds to the joys of sado-masochism. I wait for ‘Hooker Barbie’, ‘Massage Parlour Barbie’ and ‘Torture Barbie’. Some sick mind out there is already working out ways to get this done.

Anyway happier thoughts. Today is another beautiful day and confirmed that, in the South of France at least, spring is here. At a guess it is around 20 degrees and the sky is the kind of dark blue that you don’t get in the UK. I went for an early cycle ride and then spent the morning looking at houses and driving around picturesque French villages. I will only buy something that is brand new. Perhaps one of the things about the ageing process is that I like perfection. When I buy a house I like the idea of not having to do a thing to it and that nobody else has touched it. The afternoon, which is when I am writing this, is being consumed by completing a tax return, hence the reason I am writing this rather than doing what I should be doing.

On Sunday I leave France again to go to London en route to Germany. Five days with UN climate change offshoot and then back to London for 2 weeks to chase up my house sale and to get writing the next book. I am afraid my carbon footprint is immense and this year I really must follow my plan to do far more journeys by rail than plane.

Track of the day: Na Balada Do Rio Salgado – Nacao Zumbi. The best live band I have ever seen.