by | May 7, 2012

Sunday nights without Homeland

Lewis, Danes & Patinkin - leads of Homeland

Sunday evenings have not been the same since 18th February when, following rave reviews from across the pond, we were first introduced to the addictive viewing that is Homeland (Channel 4).  Usually I feel a little twitchy when fitting a glaringly obvious viewing mould.  This television tension, centred around an ex Al-Qaeda prisoner of war now potential terrorist threat to the US, is highly targeted Sunday night viewing for middle aged parents looking for extra circular excitement while their precious offspring dream of the fast-approaching new school week.

Last night saw the finale of Season 1. Produced by Howard Gordon of 24 fame, we initially had visions of a female-take on Jack Bauer.  But Homeland has been neither a clone nor a one-man show.  As an audience equally fascinated in each of the three leads (Damian Lewis, Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin) and their layering mysteries, we – the resident suspense junkies – can’t get enough of Brody and the possibility of him having been turned against his country.

So, sofa bound and with baited breath, we weren’t disappointed.  In fact, a sure sign of great viewing: today we are still reeling from the almost-act of terror, some shocking signs of mental illness and the ongoing suspense of this dramatic series.

But the real fear is how we will cope without such drama until Season 2 hits our screens?  It’s been said before;  great television dramas save marriages.   The whine of ‘why don’t we do anything together?’ is answered perfectly by the box set offering.   And it doesn’t need to be Homeland, but it helps.

 

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by | May 4, 2012

confessions of a chalet girl

I’ve always been bemused by the role of chalet girl: utterly charming to all guests, amazingly efficient at cooking, cleaning and, of course, a dab hand at parallel turns. But is the real skill of this blonde, pretty, young, posh girl to burn the candle at both ends while appearing as fresh as a daisy at breakfast time?

Dying to know just how scandalous they are, I treated an ex chalet girl to a fully-loaded cocktail, encouraging her to spill the beans.  I wanted the real dirt, gossip and shocking truth – from outrageous guests to what makes a chalet girl fabulous to her contemporaries… read on for her confessions on behalf of the infamous play-hard-play-hard ski hosting army:

 

 

 

  • Drink.  Drink while you work. Never too early in the day (disguised in a mug) and often continues through until the first lift opens at 8:30am.
  •  Cater for all the needs of your guests. Leaving them wanting nothing more… One girl even allowed herself to be tied up by eight 22 year old male guests.
  • Cake batter has more than occasionally seen the floor before filling the cake tin.
  • Local hotel’s hot tub is a regular place to get ‘intimate’ with fellow chalet boys on the way home from a big night out – even if it involves leapfrogging the hotel fence.
  • Chalet change-over day is often a big excuse to drink the allocated welcome drink champagne for the next week’s guests.  Cleaning never was fun without a little fuel.
  • Naked skiing, bed hopping, ‘fondle-her’ in a gondola – you name it.  These girls and their chalet boys love a challenge.

Learning to ski is clearly only one of the motivations for doing a ski season. So, the next time you tuck into a lemon drizzle after a long ski, look your chalet girl in the eye and ask her what she got up to today…

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by | May 3, 2012

non-picasso moment

Can you paint or draw? How much did you enjoy art at school? Answering negatively, I needed some persuading to attend Chelsea College of Art and Design for what they call a Bite Sized Painting course. In its favour, it was to be a one-off three hours of my life but the exercise seemed futile. No-one had ever had any luck goading me with a paint brush. There was no doubt, I was to be made a mockery of.

Renowned for delivering short courses, regardless of talent and age, the college had no idea how much of a challenge they had taken on with me. The marketing lady assured me that after the three hours I would surprise even myself. I wondered if she was aware that my artist capabilities end with the rather enjoyable painting-by-numbers works of art I produce with my seven-year-old?

We met in the college café. Daunted by the large number of people signing in, I soon realised that they were all there for the interior design course also running that evening. And I was relieved to work out that there were only three of us in the painting class. As I struggled to set up my easel, I knew that as much one-on-one tuition as possible could only be a good thing.

Enver, our teacher, was charming. He had lots of paint on his clothes and that essential laid-back personality only a real artist can pull off. He also happened to have graduated from the land of tact, making every single comment or suggestion, directed at our masterpieces, easy to take as well as helpful.

Taking on the challenge of a still life, the technique Enver demonstrated (again and again) is described as blocking in colour. Using acrylics, he showed us how, armed with a paint brush, we should only ‘draw in’ the darkest areas and objects. We were to ‘build up’ the picture as a whole and not focus on one object at a time. Moving through the spectrum of colours from the darkest to the lightest, I saw colour in a whole new light. The blue bottle was not simply blue but had black, white, green and even yellow reflections in it.

At the end of the session I could not believe what I had created. The marketing lady was indeed right. Perhaps there is, as they say, an artist in each and every one of us after all. So while my primary colour knowledge is rusty, my confidence in painting non-existent and my future as an artist doubtful, the enjoyment was immense and the experience was one I would absolutely recommend.

This article appeared on West London Living & The Bite Sized Painting course costs £64.

Chelsea College of Art and Design, 16 John Islip Street, London, SW1P;www.chelsea.arts.ac.uk/shortcourses; 020 7514 2104

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by | May 2, 2012

sore head

My head is sore this morning. And I’m not really allowed to tell you where I was last night. Anyway, even if I did divulge, you wouldn’t believe that I was drinking cocktails poured from teapots in a 1930s apartment building. Known by many to be terrible at keeping secrets and, based on a need-to-know basis, I will now reveal all that is quite brilliant about Barts, the ‘exclusive member-only’ bar hidden away in the rather stiff serviced apartments of Chelsea Cloisters.

Located on prestigious Sloane Avenue, Barts even describes itself as London’s worst kept secret. Ringing the bell brings a quirkily-dressed geeza to the door. He slides open the grate and peers out to find out who is keen to gain entry to this cocktail den.

Old paintings, cuckoo clocks, stuffed animal heads and vintage Mickey Mouse wallpaper contribute to the eccentric feel of the bar, but my scream of delight (cocktail-induced) was in response to finding an old-fashioned trunk full of wigs, costumes and hats). Genius!

The crowd:

Brainchild of party boys, Duncan Stirling and Charlie Gilkes (the duo also own ’80s nightclub Maggie’s and pizzeria karaoke restaurant Bunga Bunga), Barts was designed to be a new concept in London’s bar scene. Regulars and members are given key card access and can even leave their own pewter tankards hanging above the bar.

The drinks:

So what did we drink? Vodka and Gin-based ‘tea’ served in teapots and drunk from vintage cups (£10.50 per pot).

The food:

Did we eat? We didn’t, as we were celebrating a great girlfriend’s 40th with dinner booked further up Sloane Avenue. I did glance at the menu, though and was tempted by the comfort food, such as macaroni cheese (£7.50), cheese on toast fingers (£5) or scotch quails eggs (£5.50). Will I return? It’s silly and fun; just what the doctor ordered. I’m aiming for tankard status.

Barts, 87 Sloane Avenue, London, SW3; www.barts-london.com; 020 7581 3355

This article appears on West London Living – click away to find somewhere fun or new to eat or drink…

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.westlondonliving.co.uk/food-drink/bars/barts/

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