On paper, there couldn't have been a better weekend to come back to: four consecutive days off to enjoy the first days of spring. There was a long list of things to do and friends to do them with, and in the end not one of them was done. It snowed! On Easter morning! Almost three months after we stood at the window early in the morning hoping for the faintest indication of a white Christmas, we wake up to a white Easter! And then they say global warming is not an issue.
The change of temperature must have done me no good, because come Monday, I was already sneezing. On Tuesday afternoon I had to leave work early because things weren't getting any better, and I've been locked in ever since. Staying at home voluntarily is one thing. Staying at home with a cold is another. At least I got three packs of Maltova up with me so I'm well stocked on comfort food.
Staying at home of course means watching a lot more telly than is healthy, and telly today is all about Nicolas Sarkozy's attempt to establish himself properly as a presidential figure and not as a jet-setting bon viveur with a trophy wife. Since early this morning, there has been talk of nothing but the President and Carla Bruni's state visit to the UK - the first in 12 years - upon invitation by the Queen (Did he really want to bring his mother along? Will the First Lady and the Duke of Edinburgh bring up the subject of her naked pictures coming up on sale at Christie's? That kind of stuff.)
From the coverage I've been watching this morning, it doesn't look like things have started so well. Turnout at Windsor to watch the Queen receive her guests is reported to have been a lot less than usual, and even then, many of those interviewed seem to be more interested in seeing the First Lady than the President.
In fact, that seems to be the way things are going on this trip. Never mind the President's attempt to improve upon relations between the countries - which were not so good in the Chirac-Blair days. People seem more interested in what Mme Sarkozy is wearing (interestingly demure and anonymous grey).
I have both Carla Bruni's albums uploaded on my iPod. They're not albums I ever intentionally seek to listen to, but whenever it's on shuffle and one of her songs comes along, it's always been enjoyable (she does a very sweet cover of the Italian classic Il cielo in una stanza, I'll say that). But ever since this whole Sarkozy thing happened, I've found myself skipping the tracks. It all suddenly seems so contrived.
Hopefully for the bosses at HMV, I'm only a minority. Apparently - this is what you pick up when you watch too much daytime television - one of their Central London branches has stocked up on Carla Bruni albums. So at least, if the politics that are scheduled to begin after all the pomp and ceremony is over fail to yield results, this visit could also double up as a promotion tour for the First Lady's new album.
The change of temperature must have done me no good, because come Monday, I was already sneezing. On Tuesday afternoon I had to leave work early because things weren't getting any better, and I've been locked in ever since. Staying at home voluntarily is one thing. Staying at home with a cold is another. At least I got three packs of Maltova up with me so I'm well stocked on comfort food.
Staying at home of course means watching a lot more telly than is healthy, and telly today is all about Nicolas Sarkozy's attempt to establish himself properly as a presidential figure and not as a jet-setting bon viveur with a trophy wife. Since early this morning, there has been talk of nothing but the President and Carla Bruni's state visit to the UK - the first in 12 years - upon invitation by the Queen (Did he really want to bring his mother along? Will the First Lady and the Duke of Edinburgh bring up the subject of her naked pictures coming up on sale at Christie's? That kind of stuff.)
From the coverage I've been watching this morning, it doesn't look like things have started so well. Turnout at Windsor to watch the Queen receive her guests is reported to have been a lot less than usual, and even then, many of those interviewed seem to be more interested in seeing the First Lady than the President.
In fact, that seems to be the way things are going on this trip. Never mind the President's attempt to improve upon relations between the countries - which were not so good in the Chirac-Blair days. People seem more interested in what Mme Sarkozy is wearing (interestingly demure and anonymous grey).
I have both Carla Bruni's albums uploaded on my iPod. They're not albums I ever intentionally seek to listen to, but whenever it's on shuffle and one of her songs comes along, it's always been enjoyable (she does a very sweet cover of the Italian classic Il cielo in una stanza, I'll say that). But ever since this whole Sarkozy thing happened, I've found myself skipping the tracks. It all suddenly seems so contrived.
Hopefully for the bosses at HMV, I'm only a minority. Apparently - this is what you pick up when you watch too much daytime television - one of their Central London branches has stocked up on Carla Bruni albums. So at least, if the politics that are scheduled to begin after all the pomp and ceremony is over fail to yield results, this visit could also double up as a promotion tour for the First Lady's new album.