3rd April -Rowers & Millionaires

Sometimes when I read those pages usually at the end of a supplement where a well known or famous person is describing their day or their w/end I think some sound like that's what the person actually really does on average (Toph loves his FT supplement How to Spend It' so am reading about the woman who started Miller Harris candles and other nick nacks and her w/end sounds pretty reasonable and true to what it must be like. Other times you read these things and you know it's written for effect, to promote brand journalist. So in same magazine or i think so - read too many, you have Tyler Brulee telling you that at Easter time he drives with friends down from Switzerland into Italy, stops at Villa d'Este hotel in Como and then goes and does some seasonalbe expensive clothes shopping and buys oh darling , part of his fortchoming summer wardrobe. Poser! but then in his business that's what he's selling and new clients will book him for that. on same magazine some totally pretentions guy who lives in Beijing tells you he has handmade bags/suits/shoes, can't remember which, that cost £4,500. so presumablye he's self aggrandissing to get clients who will think well if he, the hired hand, can afford that, he'll find me the hand made bag/suit/shoes that cost £15,000. I'm the client so I can pay more. And i will goddammit. In fact if you ask £10,00o for that, I'll pay £15,000. Cause I can. Remember that funny .. guy Harry Enfield, with that sketch about notting hill trustafarians who go to his shop which is called 'I saw you coming'? well, that...

So am in the car telling Toph that it would be one thing me writing what I do every weekend (chores, more chores, bit of reading, eating, sleeping in, seeing a friend or two or going off to some other country, seeing some friend or relative - pretty much what you all do I guess. Or i could chose to describe one extraordinary day and give the reader the impression this is the norm and you'd all think 'My oh my, what an interesting life LT leads' and you'd come book me (I'd be a consultant in something , what else?) based on what I name drop. So I would describe today when I went to watch the Oxford-Cambridge boat race (first time I give time to this sport but you should think I do this every year) from the roof top of an amazing house with one of the largest gardens in London and a view of the river just before they get to finish line) , a house previoulsy occupied by a famous clothes designe son of a famous household shopkeeper. This in the company of a high profile and TV friendly black MP, a TV friendly human rights campainger who's shorter than me and a bit juvenile (though she had said she never drinks and she had had 3 short bloody marys and I had one and yes it made you very chatty, the dautgher of a millionaire philantropist, a friend of Bonio, a right hand person to Bill Gates who has the presence of a young Clinton, his wife who I think said had worked for Bill, a few people who recently flew on the Google private plane (yes there is one or in fact several) to a fund raising thingie in Nairobi and one person who sat all evening next to Christy Turlington (at his own request). There could/should have also been a guy who recentl paid top dollar at an auction to kiss Kate Moss.

There were also several other people of lesser standing and some I never got to find out what they do but they drove off in a Maserati so that tells you something. There were some small children who, given the background and the fact that they probably bounce on the knees of presidents and prime ministers will grow up to be.. oh I don't know, stoner dropouts? Then there was me and Toph.... er.... yes. 's true.

TBContinued as I'll have to start by describing the interior which was exquisite and my idea of uncluttered silky dove blue grey silk all over and ..... find a way to report conversatons w/o giving too much away or I'll never be invited back will I?