VanillaJodphurs*

Baroque opulence across the globe

As a stark contrast to my week of fishing on the Dee with the children in Scotland at Easter I enjoyed a lovely day out with girlfriends at the V&A Baroque exhibition the other day. The magnificence and splendour of Baroque, one of the most opulent styles of the 17th and 18th centuries, is a true indulgence in extravagance. The exhibition reflects the complexity and grandeur of the Baroque style, from the Rome of Borromini and Bernini to the magnificence of Louis XIV's Versailles and the lavishness of Baroque theatre and performance. On display are religious paintings by Rubens and Tiepolo while silver furniture, portraits, sculpture, a regal bed and court tapestries conjure up the rooms of a Baroque palace. The exhibition is the first to examine all the elements of the Baroque style and to show how, as European power spread, Baroque style reached other parts of the world, captured in objects such as a gilded Mexican altarpiece. I particularly loved a Swedish (well designed by a French silversmith) Silver chandelier and the painting of the Carousel of Christina of Sweden's celebration of her conversion to Catholicism.  Join V&A and enjoy one of the most versatile museum on the planet!

Lounge Lizard - Moi?

So the thing is networking, relationship building and huddling like Emperor Penguins in the darkest of darkest time of year, when the sun abandons Antarctica and you need others to warm you and to survive. In fact according to the report; Antarctic Penguins and Climate Change, by the WWF shows that overfishing and a reduction in sea ice is threatening four populations of penguins that breed on  Antarctica. Just like businesses in a recession desperately hanging on to the edges of a shrinking market. I guess the comparison falls flat here as we don't quite know when the sun returns so we need to think extra carefully about who we want to stick around with - and who we absolutly don't want to be near. I've decided to start structuring my networking efforts this year and the strategy to be: join already networks and clubs that match my profile and my brand.

The practical flaw with my strategy is the implementation: How to avoid spending my entire marketing budget on memberships and my time running to endless events risking that I turn into a full time lounge lizard?

 Solution; I define my profile and score easyness to match: Woman(+), Mother (+), Entrepreneur (+), Business Mentor (+), Marketing Strategist (-), Portfolio Marketing Director(-), Arty (+), 40+(-), non-sector specific (-) enjoy creative spaces (-) and then create a long list of  watering holes and score these with my own ratings: The Hospital (too media smug), The IOD (too big and uninterested in me), The Groucho (a bit shabby these days), One Alfred Place (smart but pricey) Reform Club  (men only so big minus, and no jeans! Double minus but one of the finest Victorian pieces of architecture, hardly changed since 1841)  Soho House ( a strong contender ++ I go straight to the roof terrace from May- August) Shoreditch House (another good roof top with a stunning pool + but location too far East) There is SKETCH in Mayfair (with amazing pastries and buzzing DJs - I'd ruin my figure in a month! double minus).

So, now I will sample a short list of the above and perhaps att Babington House just for good measure, even if it's Dorset or somewhere rather far away from London...

Bubble Gum For Your Mind

 Who said that bubble gum for your brain was daytime TV? I did a lot of this over the festive  season. And didn't miss my coaching sessions one iota. I think it was my dear friend Cathrina C when she justified using the TV as a babysitter for her daughter to steal some time to make a phone call. I think that was a marvellous thing to do. Everyone benefits. Our brains DO NEED a break frankly. Especially our poor children being brought up in this noisy information age. Let them chew gum! Well, if I am to believe the Organic tree hugging beauty brand Origins - there ARE real stress-releving chiclets for mums that you can BUY at an astronomical price! So here's one for you Mr Wrigley: "Tasty tension-tamers" for whenever the need arises. I have put my name down on the waiting list pronto as this batch was currently out of stock. And no wonder with Christmas just gone, credit crunch and all. Peace of Mind Gumballs (65 in acookie jar). £ 9.95 from Origins

Give me a lecture

 

So it is the new year and as I emerge from the festive period, safely knowing that my BMI (Body Mass Index) has increased by a fair few points but hopefully still slightly left of 25 I reflect on what things I want this year to bring to me and my dearest. Health is clearly top of the list and it is easy to think that staying fit is the only key to a longer life, however, I am convinced that ultimate fitness is not just toning muscle and burning fat to look good, ultimately I need to keep both my body and my brains fit. And then there is of course the soul, which I cover later, when we move to the subject of music. So, I was comforted  by the recent findings in research done by a professor at Harvard University; that the unsurpassed brain training is reading a  good book. As a devotee to books, magazines and all printed matter this is a huge relief to me as I was beginning to think that the only possible way my grey matter would stay fit and agile was counting stick people moving in and out of a house on a small titchy games console belonging to my 8 year old son. Which he was really good at and I wasn't. Following items I plan to add to my list of desirabilia in 2009 to keep my intellect on its toes without going near a pair of Nike's.

Intelligence Squared London, New York & Sydney. Lectures and forums on current affairs & hot topics lectured by the hottest media, academic or political property. Lecture tickets from £15.

Royal Academy Members Club London. £66 buys a year's free entry offers members previews, introductory tours, free subscription to RA's magisterial magazine and access to Friends Room.

Guggenheim New York & worldwide. Memberships from $75 gives free access to all the other Guggenheim's in Venice, Berlin, Bilbao, Las Vegas and its recently opened and biggest outpost in Abu Dhabi.

Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers & Commerce (RSA) are enjoying a well-deserved boom attracting a wide audience on Dr Who's Tardis

If above list is not ton truc and you crave cultural stimulation music lovers must consider The Album Club or for the cineaste you can absorb mini reviews from British Film Institute. As a self confessed book worm I am tempted to be self-gifting a year's subscription of  Paris Review America's most renowned quarterly magazine of writing and the writing life.