Gaga over Venus in tennis whites...

Although I'm not a great tennis fan, I've half an ear on the commentary today; and just heard that the extremely stylish number being worn by Venus, has been designed by the same person who creates stuff for Lady Gaga. Obviously a very winning number!

The Duchess's New Clothes

Gasp! Shock! Horror! (Perhaps for fashion afficionados) and Amazement and Delight (for us lesser mortals) - The Duchess has worn the same dress in public twice! This cannot be right. Surely a Royal Personage, just married to the (almost) King; and with stacks of money, must be in want of a new dress every time she makes the front page of the newspaper!

But no! And this is not the first time HRH has worn the same thing for the second time. The day after her marriage to Prince William, she was reported to be wearing a pair of 'wedgies' which she had actually 'recycled' and worn at least twice. At this rate, she'll be catching me up and pillaging charity shops and attending 'swishing' parties when she wants a new frock!

However, Eco-Fashion warriors need not get too excited. I'm sure it won't last. The Duchess of Cambridge has already been described as an 'asset to the fashion industry'  so it won't be long before the Designer samples get delivered by the truck-load.

In the meantime, Tesco has 'ripped off'  - or 'paid homage to' (whichever side of the fashion divide you're on)  the little beige Reiss dress which the Duchess wore recently. The dress has completely sold out and more are on order to satisfy the, reportedly, insatiable demand.

The dress is described as beige - a sort of nude colour, at least, for her complexion. And, like the proverbial 'Emperor' Princess Catherine could probably only cause more of a stir if she went completely naked.

June is busting out all over!

Although we seem to have gone from winter to summer weather these past few weeks, it's good to see proper summer weather on the first of June.

I hope it lifts your spirits as much as it does mine - and that you have a very happy Wednesday.

Also, that Sandra June (so aptly named) has a very Happy Birthday indeed!

The Law is not (so much of) a Twit

To contradict part of my blog post on the 23rd of February this year ('The Law is a Twit'), it seems that things have moved on apace. Today we hear that Twitter will, after all, be prepared to hand over details of 'Twitterers' who break the law on 'Gagging' orders; if requested to do so by legal authorities. (However, the big chiefs at Twitter have said that they will inform such Twitterers beforehand so that, presumably, said people can close their accounts/run a mile or whatever, before the authorities catch up with them.)

It was difficult to see how things could have panned out otherwise. Although some representatives of the Twitter organisation were initially suggesting that Twitter would not reveal details of these 'Gossippers' or 'Slanderers' (depending upon how much money, power and influence is deemed to be at stake); it was hard to see how Twitter could be treated any differently in Law than any other type of Media. It followed from this, that if Twitter did not 'play ball' with the legal authorities, the organisation would have lost a great deal of credibility; not just in this country, but also globally.

Earlier in the week, some people said that Twitter is no more to blame for what appears on the site than the comments made on an old-style soapbox or over a garden fence. Also that as Twitter is 'not a publisher', that was another reason why the organisation was not 'responsible' for its content in the same way as a newspaper. Interesting arguments - which may be continue to be explored - but for the moment, the Super Injunction is King.

The old school playground chant "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" needs to be updated to include the postscript "especially if I have a Super Injunction to silence my critics"

Monday Morning Motivation

My local health club has just sent me an email with some 'motivational words'. I can well do with this today - the first 'normal' Monday morning for weeks; what with Easter and Royal Wedding Bank Holiday malarkey. Perhaps that's why I'm feeling a teensy weensy bit low and finding it difficult to 'get going'. So I'm hoping these magic words and phrases will help:

Motivating Words

• "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself" – George Bernard Shaw
• "Now is the right time." – Lotus Sutra
• Life is an ever shifting kaleidoscope: A slight change and all patterns alter." – Sharon Salzberg
• "Don't be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams." – Proverbs
• "Never, never, never give up." – Winston Churchill 

Doors to Manual by Friday

Whenever I am flying anywhere (not very often these days), I always feel better when I hear those three little words, 'Doors to Manual'. I think it means we have landed and that, until the next time, we have been transported safely through the weather and turbulence all around us. We have arrived at our destination in one piece and can now carry on with the next stage of our life; whether that mean work or pleasure.

The phrase 'Doors to Manual'  has  been sneeringly used throughout the courtship of  HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton, as a snide reference to the fact that Catherine's parents both worked as cabin crew.

However, the phrase could never be more apt as a metaphor of the current situation.

Not only the couple themselves and their extended families, but the entire nation; which is in a state of in-flight limbo at the moment, will perhaps be mouthing those magic words after Friday.

Happy Landings everyone!

Catherine Zeta-Jones may not be such a Happy Bunny this Easter

Recent news reports say that Hollywood movie star, Catherine Zeta-Jones, is suffering from Bi-Polar Disorder (allegedly the 'number 2' variety, which is less 'pronounced').

No doubt she's had a lot to contend with. Her husband's illness must have taken it's toll on her. Not to mention looking after her two kids, keeping up with her glittering career and the various homes the couple own throughout the globe.

Maybe it makes us ordinary folk a little bit smug to know that these kinds of illnesses are no respecter of persons, wealth or class. We can find ourselves thinking that with all that money, fame and superstar lifestyle, there is no immunity from the kind of trials lesser mortals experience.

Part of me thinks that. But then part of me feels a little bit of sympathy for the Mrs Michael Douglas. Maybe if she'd stayed in the Gower (a lovely part of Wales); and married a Welsh rugby player like, say, Charlotte Church, everything would have been lovely. Or maybe not.

Still, there's always a silver lining to these things. Stephen Fry's very public battle with Depression seems to have given a whole new dimension to his career. Maybe Miss Zeta-Jones will claim a different piece of the limelight now. All the images I found on Google show her looking lovely as usual. There are none of her falling out of a 'rehab' clinic or coming out of club in a drunken or drugged state; or showing their underwear (unless in very tasteful poses). Witness celebrity 'sufferers' of other conditions, who have often been 'papped' in such compromising situations. Maybe the ever-tasteful, serene Catherine is a prime candidate to front a new campaign for this nasty illness. Certainly this timely reporting makes sure that the other Catherine doesn't get all the attention over Easter.