The furore over "C" being outed on Facebook by his wife (a charming woman but perhaps a little to explicit regarding MI6) has made me conscious that I should remain less visible. Entries in this journal will be far less frequent in future.

I have just returned from a tour of some of colonial interests. The mighty British Lions were in South Africa for some sport so I decided to take in a game and provide them with a few stirring words to get them ready for battle.

There were a number of hangers-on on the trip, but after trip to a drinking establish I managed to shake them off (after several hours). This enabled me to get to the real purpose of the trip. This was an opportunity to check on my interests in a couple of gold mines near Johannesburg and a diamond mine that by good friend De Beers runs on my behalf (it keeps the Memsahib happy).

Philanthropy

Fellows' has obviously been fiddling with the wireless in my dressing room. Rather than the jovial intellectual jousting of radio 4, there was some vulgar commercial station banging on about the festival season, and a plethora of concerts happening in the next few weeks. This set me thinking. Apart from the marvelous "Cardinal Sin and the Bum Notes" there is a scarcity of musical entertainment for the more discerning listener.

Just like that "Eves" oik, from wiltshire, I have plenty of land I could set aside for such an event. And of course I have the marquees. My contacts will allow access to the major city orchestra's in the uk, and that Cowell fellow owes me a favour after swaying the voting on his latest Talent thingy on the television. I think I am going to stage "Poshfest", generously bringing opera, clasical music and dance to the masses. Tarquin has expressed an interest in running this for me, and has already suggested Marmaduke Duke. If he's already got the landed gentry interested the sky could be the limit….. 

The Memsahib suggested we went to the theatre with Arabella and Persephone. It seems such a shame mixing with the public when our new home cinema has just been completed and we can watch at home. (The Memsahib points out that this does not cater for stage performances - and so it has been suggested we convert one of the rooms in the east wing into a theatre).

All this fuss about MPs' expenses is getting rather tedious.
I even read that one poor chap has been hauled over the coals for cleaning his moat. I find it a little odd that anyone should need to spend any money on this; as I write, Osbourne has just returned from giving my own moat a spring clean, attired in his frogman outfit and toilet brush in hand. He has broken all records this year - it took him only four days.

Second thoughts

On reflection would I really prefer a badly sung chorus of Billy Idols' Monet Monet, Monet Monet??????

Clarence tells me that the BBC are reporting that a rare blue diamond is on display prior to auction at Sotheby's. Sounds like an interesting trinket for the Memsahib. I also want to pick up a further Monet. At present we have three on the stairs, but a fourth would make the set. (It might also stop Arabella from singing "Monet, monet, monet; it's a rich man's world" every time she climbs the staircase).