WHAT'S WITH THE BEARDS?
Have they something to hide?
Gone off razors? Or what? Many years ago the Daily Mirror columnist Cassandra (William Connor - above) castigated the increasing number of up-with-those-times males who were growing beards. What, he wondered, were they trying to hide? Weak chins?
Well they're back now, those beards: every foolish follower of fashion in fiefdom seems to have grown, or be growing, one.
Why?
If you're as ugly as sin clean-shaven a beard is unlikely to improve your looks, and if you are devastatingly handsome without a beard, growing one only makes you look like a sad, ageing dropout.
Perhaps the PC Brigade and the Fighting Feminists should take against face fungus: well, they've taken against just about everything else since the start of this century, so the weak-willed sheep who slavishly follow the herd would surely return to the razor rather than face their combined displeasure.
I'll just be glad when the fad is over. I think young men should stay looking young for as long as they can and older men should know better than to camouflage character (of whatever degree) with a scruffy stubble.
End of lesson.
READING.
Have just read:
The Book of Dust volume one La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman.
Mr. Pullman is back in his parallel world where humans are accompanied by their own daemon.
If, twenty two years ago, you read and enjoyed the three His Dark Materials stories you will enjoy this, the first of another trilogy.
La Belle Sauvage tells baby Lyra's tale before the events in His Dark Materials took place: the hero is Malcolm Polstead, eleven years old, potboy and son of the innkeeper of the Trout inn. Lyra's survival throughout the first year of her life eventually depends on his (and determined antiheroine Alice's) unswerving devotion.
The following two books will pick up the story after The Amber Spyglass (last of the first trilogy) ended.
Wonderful writing and well worth the wait.
As a follow up I am now reading Skeleton Key, the third of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider stories for teenagers.
This is another writer who knows his market very well indeed; according to the web, the Alex Rider yarns will soon be seen on our television screens, too. Apparently they will be made by a former producer of Foyle's War.
Sounds good to me.
TELEVISION.
A marvellous send-up.
Murder on the Blackpool Express. (GOLD) If you have not seen it, Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson are top of the bill in this marvellous send-up of every star-studded whodunit ever filmed anywhere. I almost got caught out by the last minute red herring.
Loved it and hope writers Jason Cook and Mollie Freedman Berthoud will do many more along similar lines.
It's bound to be repeated around Christmastime, so if you did miss it...
Have they something to hide?
Well they're back now, those beards: every foolish follower of fashion in fiefdom seems to have grown, or be growing, one.
Why?
If you're as ugly as sin clean-shaven a beard is unlikely to improve your looks, and if you are devastatingly handsome without a beard, growing one only makes you look like a sad, ageing dropout.
Perhaps the PC Brigade and the Fighting Feminists should take against face fungus: well, they've taken against just about everything else since the start of this century, so the weak-willed sheep who slavishly follow the herd would surely return to the razor rather than face their combined displeasure.
I'll just be glad when the fad is over. I think young men should stay looking young for as long as they can and older men should know better than to camouflage character (of whatever degree) with a scruffy stubble.
End of lesson.
READING.
Have just read:
Mr. Pullman is back in his parallel world where humans are accompanied by their own daemon.
If, twenty two years ago, you read and enjoyed the three His Dark Materials stories you will enjoy this, the first of another trilogy.
La Belle Sauvage tells baby Lyra's tale before the events in His Dark Materials took place: the hero is Malcolm Polstead, eleven years old, potboy and son of the innkeeper of the Trout inn. Lyra's survival throughout the first year of her life eventually depends on his (and determined antiheroine Alice's) unswerving devotion.
The following two books will pick up the story after The Amber Spyglass (last of the first trilogy) ended.
Wonderful writing and well worth the wait.
As a follow up I am now reading Skeleton Key, the third of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider stories for teenagers.
This is another writer who knows his market very well indeed; according to the web, the Alex Rider yarns will soon be seen on our television screens, too. Apparently they will be made by a former producer of Foyle's War.
Sounds good to me.
TELEVISION.
A marvellous send-up.
Loved it and hope writers Jason Cook and Mollie Freedman Berthoud will do many more along similar lines.
It's bound to be repeated around Christmastime, so if you did miss it...
