Monday 31 October 2011

Day 2 - 7.05pm

First bit of trouble since we arrived at the campsite!!!
Tarquin isn't happy with the dance/mime that Sebastian has devised and Sebastian then tells Tarquin that he doesn't know that expressionist dance is a European dance form that is part of the German Expressionist movement (silly - we all know that!) Before things get too heated I suggest we book a table at The Priory where we can discuss this properly. Everyone agrees, table is booked for 8pm.

Day 2 - 6.35pm

The play seems to be coming along super! Tarquin has decided that I shall play the role of Woman (yes!) and he shall play the role of Man. Behind us Sebastian and Jemima will be wearing lycra body suits and performing a dance/mime...this will be a dance of joy juxtaposing itself against our bleak existence. Try and picture the joyful leaps and bounds of Sebastian and Jemima which will act as a backdrop for this opening exchange ....

WOMAN: Did you hear?

MAN: Come to bed.

WOMAN: You didn’t?

MAN: Hear what?

WOMAN: Outside.  They’re building barricades.

MAN: Where?

WOMAN: Here.  On our street.

    [They lock eyes for a long moment—the MAN’s face turns pale.  He goes to the window.  The WOMAN continues to tremble, but her eyes remain locked on the man, motionless, gauging his reaction.]

MAN: How long?

WOMAN: An hour at least.

    [Pause.]

MAN: My brother?

WOMAN: He’s gone.  He knew you’d try to stop him, so he left as soon as it started.  I saw him go.

MAN: Why didn’t you wake me?

WOMAN: What could you have done?

    [Silence.]

MAN: It’s really happening.  I can’t believe it.

    [She clasps his hand.]

WOMAN: Are you afraid?

Day 2 - 6.20pm

Cold and dark. Mood in the camp seems subdued. Sebastian has decided he wants to incorporate a dance/mime act into our play....he is soooo talented!

Day 2 - 5.40pm

Tarquin has decided that we must make more effort as, after 24 hours here, we are 'real protesters' and has decided that we should perform a short play for our comrades gathered here. We have decided to adapt CALL OF THE REVOLUTION by Leonid Andreyev which most people here will probably know. Soooo excited!

Day 2 - 5.25pm

Wall Street has just finished and is as powerful now as it was when released. Greed is NOT good! (I mean look at all the fat kids around!) But obviously some people can eat more than others, I mean look at Tamsin...she eats all day and never goes a pound over 7 stone *jealous face*

Day 2 - 3.10pm

The wonderful, wonderful Jeremy has just brought over a small generator, a flatscreen TV and a dvd player! Even better he has given us a copy of Wall Street (my favourite! So moving). We are going to settle down and watch this classic film with some smoked salmon and a bottle of Chateau Gilette 1947 Doux Sauternes.

Day 2 - 2.25pm

A young girl (boots with that dress! ugh!) has just wandered over to our tent and said "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" To which Sebastian replied "That is not logical Captain" PMSL!!

Day 2 - 2.05pm

Sebastian has arrived with his guitar (a Martin HD28V) and has just sang what he called 'one of the great songs of the revolution'. We all cried. I made him write down the words so I can share it with you...

Can you hear the drums Fernando?
I remember long ago another starry night like this
In the firelight Fernando
You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar
I could hear the distant drums
And sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar

They were closer now Fernando
Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally
I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though we never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando

Now we're old and grey Fernando
And since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand
Can you hear the drums Fernando?
Do you still recall the fateful night we crossed the Rio Grande?
I can see it in your eyes
How proud you were to fight for freedom in this land

PS I don't know who Fernando is but I'm sure he would have liked to be with us here today...maybe his visa had expired?

Day 2 - 1.35pm

Have just spread 3 kilograms of dog repellent crystals around our tent.

Day 2 - 1.15pm

Back in our tent. Tarquin suggested that wearing my new boots here may not be such a good idea so I have put them in a taxi and sent them home.


Missing you already!!

Day 2 - 12.35pm

Not back at campsite yet as decided to buy some new boots (McQueen or Dior?). Just been approached by a man who is going on about the 'occupation' (can't he tell I am one of them!! Have decided on Dior), he said Contemporary society is commodified society, where the economic transaction has become the dominant way of relating to the culture and artifacts of human civilization, over and above all other means of understanding, with any exceptions being considered merely a temporary holdout as the market swiftly works on ways to monetize those few things which stubbornly remain untouched. Perhaps the most pernicious aspect of this current setup is that it has long ago co-opted the very means of survival within itself, making our existence not an inherent right endowed to us by the simple fact of our humanity but a matter of how much we're all worth -- the mere act of being alive has a price tag.

Whatever!  *rolls eyes*

Day 2 - 12.20pm

Just had a call from Jean-Paul (he had to fly back to France *sadface*) who has this sooo brilliant idea! He is organizing 'Occupy St. Tropez'!! We are all flying down next week. Brill!!

Day 2 - 11.49am

The TV people are coming!! Off to get hair cut and buy some new clothes!

Day 2 - 11.35am

Just been looking at the occupy Bath facebook page (on my new iPhone 4S - thanks daddy!!) and it says that 196 people have pledged to join us here! Although 587 of my friends said they would come to my birthday at St. Catherine's Court and only 305 turned up - guess it's easier to click  the I'm Attending button than actually walk anywhere...

Day 2 - 10.30am

Jemima has brought some snacks for us and a nice bottle of Chevalier-Montrachet 2002 Domaine Leflaive. Yum!

Day 2 - 9.20am

Back in the tent after wonderful night's sleep in 3 star hotel. Wonderful news too...Jerry has arrived! Obviously he can't drive his new motor home (the Coachmen Sportscoach Cross Country Elite 370 DS) into the campsite so he has parked nearby where we can wave at each other.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Day 1 - 10.30pm

Jean-Paul has written a little revolutionary poem for me -

I hear rushing of muskets, and bright'ning of swords, and visages redd'ning with war,
Frowning and looking up from brooding villages and every dark'ning city.
Ancient wonders frown over the kingdom, and cries of women and babes are heard,
And tempests of doubt roll around me, and fierce sorrows, because of the nobles of France.
Depart! answer not! for the tempest must fall, as in years that are passed away.'


He then explained that the hotel had only a double bed room left.

Updates for you tomorrow. Byeee!!


Revolution.

Day 1 - 10.18pm

A large hippy type woman (conditioner - hellooo?) has started to play the guitar and sing (?) what i presume to be 'Give Peace A Chance'. What!!! Are we at war? Jean-Paul says it is OK...he has booked a room in the (conveniently) nearby hotel for us.

Day 1 - 10.10pm

Bored. Cold.

Day 1 - 9.50pm

Brilliant!! Tamsin just called and said she can see my blog (squeee!) Said she would love to be here but couldn't get back from Cannes in time.....Love U!!!

Day 1 - 9.30pm

Jean-Paul (he's soooo clever...and French!) has just said that the last people to occupy Bath were the Romans. And that wasn't really bad was it? So maybe we are doing the right thing.

Day 1 - 9.20pm

A weird man (not my opinion, he introduced himself thus - "Hi, I'm Weird Man) just came up to our tent and gave us a leaflet which said 'One could add, however, that an emphasis on the opposite - the primacy of objective material realities and the secondary importance of the "subjective" element - can lead to another form of non-revolutionary determinism. This comes through in some of the formulations of the Second International’s influential "pope of Marxism," Karl Kautsky, who emphasized that it was the "objective realities" of the capitalist economy, not the "subjective realities" associated with the ideas and activities of the labor movement, that would bring about the socialist revolution. Such seemingly hardheaded, "scientific" fatalism and determinism has all-too-often passed for profound Marxist wisdom. This can cause working-class militants to passively wait for revolutionary inevitabilities which, as the history of the twentieth century demonstrates, never materialize.'
we read it, then as one looked at him and shouted "He's a weird man and he smells of pee' until he went away.

Day 1 - 8.25pm

Arrhythmic drumming becoming really annoying!! Jemima has a brilliant idea though. She has called the police over and told them that the bad drummers have tried to sell her monkey tranquilizer! The police have dragged them all away! PMSL!!

Day 1 - 8.00pm

Some people are shouting at us...something to the effect that if we have enough time to waste sitting in tents then couldn't we use that time to help the needy/poor/homeless instead. Really? LMAO - ROTFL - LOL

Day 1 - 7.45pm

One of the scruffy chaps (shampoo - duh!) has come over to our tent to say how 'cool' it is that we are here supporting this movement. Tarquin hit him with a stick *giggle*

Day 1 - 7.35pm

Yumm

Day 1 - 7.30pm

A very nice man who works in one of daddies restaurants has just brought over some lobster thermidor for us to share (hooray!) Am getting a little annoyed with the people in a tent near us who insist on banging a selection of very small drums they have. Why?

Day 1 - 7.18pm

A little confused why we are 'occupying' Bath when Daddy owns most of it....I am sure there is a good reason.

Day 1 - 7.15pm

Forgot that Goethe had come under the influence of Europe's Oriental renaissance. Boring!

Day 1 - 7.00pm

Decided to pop down to the Ustinov Studio to watch Iphigenia (by Goethe, in a new translation by Meredith Oakes). Back in a bit!

Day 1 - 6.30pm

Nothing much happening so we are trying to decide what to have for breakfast tomorrow, unanimous decision is eggs benedict (yum). One of the chaps thinks that the police (fascists!) may try and blockade any deliveries trying to be made to us and wrote this little poem...

In these hollow days
they denied us hollandaise,
we had to use mayonnaise.
Eggs Revolution!

Day 1 - 6.00pm

Getting a little bored now.

Day 1 - 5.30pm

Fascists!!! Police have refused permission for me to ride my pony (Rampant Marmalade Baguette) around Queen's Square,,,just another example of State controlled suppression!!

Day 1 - 5.00pm

Things just keep getting better! Tarquin has arrived with a bottle of Krug Rose Champagne! Jemima's daddy has just arrived with our tent and brought some working class chaps along to erect it for us. (see pic below)

Day 1 - 4.30pm

Great news! The occupy Bath location is Queens Square, lovely views of classical Georgian architecture, well kept grass enclosure for our tents and no financial institutions in sight!