The day you can buy something without asking the price is because you've worked without looking at your watch. " (someone said it once, I say it twice)

Quote of the Week

Art : Damien Hirst

The democratic vote to leave the European Union has had many unexpected consequences for travellers. One of the most serious: UK passengers wrongly denied boarding by their airlines because their passports are deemed no longer valid after Brexit. So rife is the problem that my “pinned post” on X (formerly Twitter) reminds travellers, and airlines that a UK passport must meet two conditions for travel to the European Union (and wider Schengen area): On day of entry to the EU, issued less than 10 years ago. On intended day of exit from EU, at least three months left before expiry date.

Those are the two conditions British passports must meet to travel in the European Union must.

Yet deep into 2023, ground staff at UK airports are still turning passengers away needlessly – causing distress to travellers and triggering hundreds of pounds in compensation.

Source : European Border / Int. Press

Talent is...

...crashing your car into your own house?

The person inside was less lucky as the car and suffered minor injuries after crashing into his house in Salisbury. Photo : Borough Agents

Essay : KATE MOSS I LOVE YOU DRUNK

Dear KATE : We Want You Drunk

style="clear: both;">

- Could it be that she's stupid and doesn't know anything and wants to self-sabotage like most women who drink too much and instantly turn ugly to the public and fashion world ? I don't think so. She does everything she wants, almost to the limit between a fashion campaign, boredom and death. If she wants to kill herself, I don't think so. The routine of taking drugs before going on the catwalk and appearing in public? Normal for her. All very normal for her and manageable to this day. Is she afraid or desperate not to be recognised and appreciated by photographers and passers-by? Kate Moss doesn't carry the despair and fears of passing in white clouds, unlike the other midelis of her generation. She's an English survivor, just like Naomi Campbell, both of whom have a long history of drugs that is more like the secret of youth. She was the chicest heroine of the 90s, while the animal mulatto (Campbell) tried to kill papparazzi with scissors and was sentenced to forced labour and a few bids for stolen diamonds. Kate is more sublime, she drinks with everyone. With her money she has her own private dealer as well as a pseudo-model daughter. But mommy is better.Nevermind her daughter. Noticed that she's never paraded sober every time she's been on a catwalk. Calvin Klein's poster-girl, she drank CK for years. She went wild. She's successful to this day, being photographed here and there wearing ripped Dior dresses. She has been romantically paired with a wide variety of artists, from Johnny Depp to Peter Doherty. The latter tried to drink her, but regurgitated. To summarise the mess: she drinks to lower her ego and reveal her superego, which is a lot more buzzworthy and sells a lot more newspapers. Kate has a long and white career' plus all the elves. She laughs, dances, asks for another round and gets tough in front of everyone. Maybe she'll die, but her soul will be out there, with a straw in one hand and a glass of *alcahol* in the other. Sniffing everything, drinking everyone! Making a fuss, creating confusion. I love a celebrity who's fallen down and scraped up in the ditch. Oh dear...

. Wikepedia : Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model.[7] Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fashion icon status. She is known for her waifish figure, and role in size zero fashion. Moss has had her own clothing range, has been involved in musical projects, and is also a contributing fashion editor for British Vogue.

Insight

-Every year that begins my ceiling has stars and at the top a flying saucer...

Autor's note : I would like to thank all the readers of the blog for their comments, emails and views. Happy new year. See you there ? Deal.

Economy : It must to be a joke on us

The Bank of England has said Britain is facing a tougher job to crush persistently high inflation than other advanced nations, as it kept interest rates on hold at the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. Source: today's newspapers.

Movie Review : Saltburn, direct by Emerald Fennel ( former actress )

TASTLESS - Waiter, please, gimme the pepper ?

The real Salt Burn was here to write a few lines about this film, for you my readers, because as nothing in the film promised me, it was a bit of a squeeze to comment on it.

“Saltburn” is the kind of embarrassment you’ll put up with for 75 minutes. But not for 127. He's too desperate, too confused, too pleased with his petty shocks to irritate anything he might recognize as genuine excitement. The canvas around the pool reminds me of the film O PANTANO (LA CINEAGA).

A quite boring melody drama, Argentina by Directed by Lucrecia Martel. In the middle of the film, the patriarchs of the family have some connection with the drug trade recently passed on to them by their family with Bolivia adjacencies and they suffer from abstinence and deep depression because of their excuses. Already in the first scenes of the film, you see several people by the (filthy, by the way) pool of the house, sunbathing and getting drunk on cheap wine. But Satlburn is situated in UK, 2006. At a time when the internet was still an advent, well, it's not there yet. All the censorship at the beginning of the film didn't stop me from taking my four children to the cinema together to watch it. And even so, we would still find a car accident on the corner to have more feelings and frissin than such a film. All intectuall copyrights arereserved to the Author Gabriel Colombo ( International Press Member )

Quote of the Weekend

… 'Raise the roof' she yelled 'yeah raise the roof' I yelled back. ( Unfortunately you need a health scare to re-prioritize ). I know his's blood.

Gastronomy / Real-life recipes

We'll start now to reach out Santa

First day of this pre-stress-rush in which we're all running madly to please at Christmas. And, in the end, we end up with that old bob. Today I started (to restart) the appetisers and this composition of Italian cheese Number 3 Affine with Spanish chorizo auentico goes well with rosé wine. It seems like an exaggeration because it fits in with the most diverse occasions (from breakfasts to snacks to savour at any time of the day). Simple, easy and delicious. Many of these combinations are great basic dishes that didn't even make it out of the old family cookery books. They get reinterpretations that add more value to the original essence and charms, when you melt cheese and put it on top of a sirloin stake and that chorizo into a bread from the last and other day, when you put tartar sauce with a spoonful of ketchup and relax having an Espresso Martini on Boxing Day. And then you do not need a husband or a girlfriend for a while.

David Cameron calls for $350bn in frozen Russian bank accounts to fund Ukraine war

“We should pass this money to the Ukrainians,” he said. Because seizing assets to help Ukraine is complex, some experts suggest governments look at more creative methods

David Cameron has called for 350 billion dollars (£278 billion) in frozen Russian bank accounts to be used to fund the Ukrainian war effort. The UK foreign secretary said there is a strong argument for seizing frozen Russian assets and using them to rebuild Ukraine, during a visit to the US. Photo : Reuters

The Life of Gabriel

...And I love You Still I see you altering history I see you abusing the land I see you and your selective amnesia

Everything will change. The love we have for each other stays the same, but the format, the tone, the regularity and the intimacy of our friendship will change for ever. I am your profits and your prophets and delight. I've sat in the sacred blur of both embodied and imagined birth and death… In their real and imagined awe-inducing-ness. And i have yet to have a preference of the doorway in or the doorway out. they both bring grief and me to my knees in their and grace, regardless of their interpreted glory, horror or rightness. They both knock down and blaze through the door of the great mystery, brazenly impersonal in their punchings in and punchings out It is life itself that both mystifies and satisfies and shakes this soldier soul. For birth is but a welcome (in some cases) and death is but a tearful kiss goodbye (in some cases) but life….the adventure birthed of the essential seeds… Is an elevator, a circus, a held breath, a bath, a shock, a rudeness, a will-full falling asleep, a sigh, a delicate map of a crazed relief and un-lived or wildly sung rapture… (a torture, and a reward, at once) That bounces like an un-mastered ball until it settles into the cradle of awakening. If it ever does. -All Legal and Intelectual Rights as property are reserved to Gabriel Colombo. International Member of Jounalists Society.

Playlist

Velvet Underground

They're acidic in their sound, real in their lyrics and romanticised in a peculiar way. Worth a listen : Velvet Underground / Lou Reed, yeah (always vinyl) to listen to this Saturday eve!omg while you washe the floor or raises the roof )

Quote of the Week ( it may contain nuts)

That's what the dreams are made of""

Supermarket Tip / Lyfestyle

Ain't a trapping bag

This seasonal bag is a real surprise: it looks like it's made of cheap paper and it looks like it's going to rip easily and leave you looking like a crah boom ting eith no mache paper in the middle of the street on your way home. I bought this bag to carry my food shopping in Marks & Spencer and thought I'd fallen into a trap.It is very resistent as tou can see in the photi below. You can also enjoy to carry clothes to Laundry or hidde inside your pocket secrets. I did test it by 3 rimes along two days and the bag still brand new.

Note : They did not give such bag for free as this it is not an an advertise.

The Life of Gabriel

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE Back to back ? Further up the plataform living like I do

Call me deluded as I think I have hidden talents and no one knows about it. One of them is buying clothes and hiding them for more than two years in suitcases, and my modesria as well, as if I were going travelling and taking them to other cities. I have lots of things I've never worn, even with labels. Christmas is coming and we're being bombarded by magazines and fashion books suggesting what to wear for the end of year festivities. IF YOU'VE taken care of yourself all year round, you can stay naked at home. IF you've overdone it and gained weight, it would be good to cover the excess with grapevine leaves. For me, the time has not come to get a liposuction on my stomach and a volume graft on my biceps, thank you Italian avo genetics. If it seems I've been walking on eggshells, now is the time to address what I realky saw without pointing fingers. Life ro the next level ? Not that greed. I like a word called "revitalized". Then I remembered that last year, without much time, working twelve hours a day, I decided to go out dancing on Christmas Eve and I took to usi g what I had in front of me, closer to me. It was a Lila's shirt by Tom Ford, navy blue trousers by Zara and a pair of worn-out Gucci shoes, but I was a customer. And it all worked out - I went to an intimate pub in the North West and had so much fun. I haven't forgotten the girl who gave me £20 pounds for a gold cider. And I haven't forgotten the fat bloke who tried to touch on my chest and my penis (why?) - as high as he was. And I had to run away from him for five minutes and stand next to the bouncer. For the record, between velvet and satin I feel confortable with my own skin. At this time of the year there is a lot of pressure to soend money in vain and "dress to impress". Do not take this trip, you may get tired or old doing that. Enjoy yourself in your truly state, bruised or not. Nevermind about the padt. Renew brand new hopes. And do you wanna know something ? I will wear my smile to be alive and the same outfit from the last year. The clothes may are the same as my soul is refreshed as a new trend. There is always an oat version of that. When you're looking for love and it seems like you'll never find it, remember that you probably already have access to plenty of it, but not the romantic kind. This kind of love may not kiss you in the rain or propose marriage. But it will listen to you, inspire you and restore you. On boxing day morning I was tooked by surprise : my ex-lover casually passed by me, on the corner of my flat, at 9am and gave a kiss full on the lips that the neighbours woke up to in two windows and the gentleman at the newsagent's stopped to look at. So, baby, try to hold you when you cry, celebrate when you're happy and sing Nina Simone with you when you're drunk. You have a lot to gain and learn from this kind of love. You can carry it with you forever. Keep it as close to you as possible. Xx, G.

Sunday's Receip

Let's make it Italian I'm sharing this recipe with you (it's very-healthy-practical) as it makes enough for four guests. It's called Orecchiette and a half-kilo packet will do well. I adapt it with two cans of sardines in oil, tomato sauce + passatta and parmesan. There's no mystery and it's good food. I've remembered this pasta format because your girls will think it's great. You can make it with sour cream and chunks of salmon if you want to impress your lover. Sardines have been neglected but they are rich in omega 3. As a side dish, broccoli in olive oil for either version. Don't forget the Cherry tomatoes.

Prices (+-) in UK : Pasta packet: £4.00 Two tins of sardines in brine : £2.00 Broccoli: £0.90 Passatta tomato: £1.59 Parmesan: £4.00 I hope you find the idea useful and put it to good use. In an emergency, just pasta with olives and courgettes grilled in olive oil will do the trick. Best wishes and enjoy it.

A Short Story of Violence

A man's journey sometimes inspires care between life and death.

Real O'nell has a very cosmolian background and cannot be said as a citizen of any country. His dad a influentian Russian Politic,and his mother an investigative dectective by law's friend of Agatha Christie. As an international artist and playboy he moves into fashionable circles, but was determined to balance his life much higher. In his formative years he suffered diverse influences in the form of environment, education, joy and chaos. He was born in Paris, studied at a boarding school run by French nuns, moved to New York, where he remained and was educated by a succession of governesses of different nationalities. But nothing was more of a surprise than being moved to Number Ten in the fake country, where he was provided with extra education. On the contrary, there were holes in the curtains that protected his window from the view of strangers, his window was cut by shattered glass one night when he tried to lock the window, and in the early days, what seemed like a deserted country began to be populated by countless voices of inhabitants of nomadic and illegal tribes. Until you notice the walls of your bathroom are damp and you realize that someone is taking a shower in your shower without his permission. Feeling outraged, he shouted, trying to send everyone to the Fur country, but the asteroid Enfer tried to call the Untransport with eight men dressed as authorities and take him to Plantão for no reason at all. O'real was taken by surprise from outside the resident pkaneta and taken away by a comet, where in a prostitute pursuit they tried to take away his dreams with an injection that was so lethal it put him to sleep for four days and four nights in Calabria. When he woke up he felt the entire right side of his body paralyzed and realized that someone had injured him as if he had been beaten by a gang of gang members from the Pais Nao Residente skiba orbita club. Slidly he clearly noticed the presence and escape of the infiltrated bandits who lived nearby through the Glass Door Border. So he ate soup and spoke to the authorities of Coroa Antiga de Semper and traveled through the kingdom of plagues, and no germ, no bacteria could get close to him, not even the one who had the key to the storeroom and stole from the game of such an insane supporting character. from the Luna planet that was. He joined the Army forces and worked as well as in his time off he had time to write a novel, his fifth book being published cosmopolitically. It also received a legal assessment from Camafeu Female. Thus the publication of his 9th book titlef “The Curiosity of Others”, inspired by the violation of Legal Laws/Private Life and contributions for the Several Crowd Power. Recently on an Internet page he moved to Maker's corner and received important pocket advice. Until then, these people around him, ba Planicie dis I- Damned, were killing themselves over a crazy thing called his dingo, he noted. Being wise, he lives a semi-charming life in which he plays his piano in the light and is not afraid of the shadows and triggers of other Continents.

Written by Gabriel Colombo Fiction / Non Fiction All rights reserved by intelectual property to the Author.

Investments : Which investment platforms charge flat fees?

Most investment platforms charge an annual fee that is expressed as a percentage of the investor’s portfolio. So if you have £50,000 in an ISA, and the annual fee is 0.45%, you would pay £225 a year. The more you have invested, the greater the fee. In contrast, a few platforms charge flat fees. Interactive Investor has several different price plans, which all have flat fees. The cheapest is £59.88 a year and can be used for portfolios containing less than £50,000. Above this level, the cheapest flat fee is £143.88 a year. Interactive Investor argues that its fees are “flat and predictable” and can be significantly cheaper than its competitors that charge percentage fees. Meanwhile, IWeb, which is owned by Lloyds Banking Group, charges a flat fee of £100 to open an account - although there is currently a special offer until the end of the year where the £100 fee is waived. IWeb doesn’t charge any annual or ongoing fees. Trades cost £5 each. Halifax Share Dealing charges £36 a year for a stocks and shares ISA and share dealing account, plus £9.50 for each trade. 

True or False ?

Number 10 was in “chaos” during the early stages of the pandemic, the Government’s chief scientific adviser wrote in diary entries submitted to the Covid Inquiry.

Sir Patrick Vallance wrote evening notes most nights during the height of the Covid crisis, setting down his thoughts from the “extremely difficult and troubling days”, the inquiry heard. As the public hearings resumed on Tuesday, Hugo Keith KC, counsel to the inquiry, read out some of these diary entries as he outlined what he described as a “toxic” environment in Downing Street.

Confessions: - I was woken up before my usual time, by this song sent from "a dear friend of mine". Bloody hell. Anyway, listen to it.

Parmigiana ?! Go lighter

Ingredients ---- 4 aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways 3 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 x 350g pots Waitrose Cherry Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce 125g ball mozzarella, torn Large bunch fresh basil 25g grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative

Method ----- Heat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/gas 7. In a large bowl, toss the aubergine slices with 2 tbsp oil, and salt and pepper. Put the aubergines in a single layer on 2 non-stick baking sheets, then roast for 10-12 minutes until softened and a little coloured. Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes, then take off the heat. Turn down the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. Layer half the aubergines in a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish. Pour over a pot of the pasta sauce, dot the mozzarella evenly on top, then scatter over all the onion mixture and the leaves of half the basil. Top with the rest of the aubergines, the other pot of pasta sauce, then the parmesan or alternative. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then put under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes until golden and bubbling. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve with a crisp green salad.