May 05 Newsletter

Post General Election Blues Syndrome

Who’s sorry now?

Where’s Tony now?

His heart’s not aching

For breaking each vow.

Gordon’s not blue

Tone’s happy too

You swallowed the lies they spun for you.

Right to the end

Just like a friend

I tried to warn you somehow

But you had your say

Now we must pay

I’m sad that you’re sorry now….

Seems the UK economy wasn’t all that Gordon and Tony cracked it up to be!

Sol e Sombre: Amie has just finished her finals. Phew! So for a last minute break together and a chance to use her Spanish skills we took a plane to Granada. Here, my special Buddhist friend, Paula Owen/Viola, picked us up. Since Paula did my make-up for the "Anyone Who Had a Heart" video and the "Hello Angel" cover we have been firm friends, even though she met and married an Italian TV director, Dario and moved to Milan. They now work in Spain where they have a beautiful holiday house in Escanuela; a tiny whitewashed village tucked away in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Paula drove us through mile after mile of olive groves until we arrived in the village where Amie and I would be the first English people that anyone had met. Gossip traveled fast and soon everyone was assembling in the bar to take a peep at us. We were introduced to a friendly old man who seemed to know everyone and everything. Raoul became our self appointed chaperone throughout our two day stay while Paula sped back to Madrid where she and Dario were working on a new hit TV series.

Hablar Espanol? At midnight on our first night, after Amie and I were safely swaddled under the Andalucian stars, Raoul rapped on the front door to deliver extra virgin olive oil, grown and harvested by the villagers and a large bowl of fresh olives. Even though we were bleary-eyed, Amie and I couldn’t wait to tuck in so we clambered downstairs. Delicious! I was so proud of Amie’s fluent Spanish. She is a very open, easy translator and so I experienced a really heartfelt connection with the Spanish people we met.

Raoul arranged a driver (the bar owner) to take us to Granada, and we had a really exciting conversation with him about the political changes in Spain since the Sixties. In those days I sang for the dictator Franco and his family. This ensured my safety and enabled me to tour Spain frequently and do TV work freely. We heard sad stories about the effect on Raoul’s family who suffered imprisonment and death under Franco’s regime. Despite now living in a democracy of sorts he did not feel that they had gained much from being part of the EU. Most Spanish he felt were concerned at the loss of cultural identity as the result of laws being imposed on them by strangers in Brussels. It did not seem like democratic process to him. They had lost as much as they had gained.

Allah Akbar! Arriving at Grenada, he drove us right into the grounds of the Alhambra Palace where Amie had booked a room in a bijou hotel. It was amazing. The room looked right out onto the Moorish Palace. The headwaiter took a shine to us and kept a bottle of white Rioja in the fridge with our name written on it, which he came running out with whenever we arrived in the outside terraced restaurant.

Next day Amie and I explored the Alhambra. It is the most stunning architecture. A celebration of life. Every view is one of sheer beauty, accompanied by the sounds of trickling water and birdsong, the aroma of flowers and the play of the hot sun and cool shade on your skin as you walk through sunlight and shadow. A feast of the senses. The Moslem proclamation "Allah Akbar" is an integral part of all the design. This visit was very timely as our lovely Buddhist friend; Orlando Bloom had just premiered his movie "The Kingdom of Heaven" in London. Orlando chose to do this film to highlight the chivalry and honor of the Muslim faith and its civilizing effect on Europe. Historically this has been so unacknowledged, and recently has been so misunderstood by the Western and indeed the Middle Eastern world.

Ola mi chica! Spanish history was played out here in the Alhambra Palace too. Amie did A-level History. Her favorite historical figures are Isabella and Philip of Spain. She gave me a unique running commentary on the history of Europe from the Spanish perspective as we strolled around. It gave the whole experience a depth and profundity. I was overjoyed to think of myself as a European and so proud of my lovely daughter.

The next morning Amie and I fed the birds at our breakfast table before we took the plane home.