Longrider

Review of Vive La France 2006
Once again, France visits the heart of London for the Vive La France exhibition at Olympia. Once again, Mrs Longrider and I took the train to London to take a look. There is the usual array of fine wines and foods. The wines are lost on us, unfortunately, as neither of us imbibe alcohol - but if you do, there’s plenty to choose from. I did succumb to the proffered cheeses though and we bought a fine slice of Gruyère. We also bought a rather nifty barbecue set that holds the food in place while you turn it, which means I’ll be more efficient when cooking alfresco next summer at L’Oustal.

Indeed, we spent rather more money than we planned - but when the opportunity to purchase the same item later is an unknown quantity, we tend to grab it now and worry later. Well, that explains the tin-plate version of Toulouse Lautrec’s Tournée du Chat Noir for the hallway anyway - that’s our excuse and we are sticking to it.

An enjoyable day out for francophiles.
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Dr Who reached its finale last Saturday. A 13 week series that took the Dr Who character into the 21st Century was one I (like many fans of formers doctors) was waiting for with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. How would Christopher Eccleston follow in the footsteps of doctors played by such icons as Tom Baker, who for me was the epitome of the Dr Who character?

I needn’t have worried. Eccleston proved to be a lively, manic doctor and the programme rattled along in company with an underlying satirical humour. Some have criticised it for Political bias. I can’t say that I agree with this criticism. The politics that did intrude struck me as part of the dual layer of the programme designed to appeal to adults as well as children. While children will be concentrating on the main action, the politcal comment found in the Slitheen’s "45 second" speech for example raises a smile because it is so crass and so obvious that it is a dig at current affairs. Rather than a crude attempt by the BBC to instil its cultural bias, I picked up light satire, nothing more.

This weekend’s finale returned us to the arch enemy; the Daleks. Those wonderfully nasty metal robots with a bad attitude and something sinister living inside have been subject to updating and computer imaging to give us an army of them sweeping though space to invade Earth. This time, they really are menacing. And, in the final moments, Eccleston bows out to be regenerated into his successor, David Tennant.

Given that Eccleston didn’t want to be typecast, he decided to leave the show after one series. Tennant, I believe, will make an excellent replacement. I’m looking forward to the Christmas special and series two.

Ah, well, that’s this year’s pilgrimage to Olympia. Much the same as last year really. What strikes me is the plethora of aromas that assaults the senses as you wander through the market section of the exhibition. And the cheeses….oh, the cheeses. We came away with a special offer (just for the show, you understand) of five cheeses for a fiver. Couldn’t resist. We also collected umpteen brochures from the tourist office of the Languedoc Roussillon to put in our house for visitors to use.
Oh, and we bought a clock for the kitchen that will look just the piece.
My only gripe is catering. There are several bars in the Olympia complex but none really have enough seating and the café set up for the show was hugely over subscribed. Otherwise, an enjoyable day.
We’ll be back next year for more of the same.