Friday 28 August 2015

Fanny Craddock gets me blogging again

Having confirmed in record time that all political careers end in failure with my defeat at Hove in May, I have spent the last 3 months watching some cricket, lots of horse racing, doing some digging and generally loafing about.
A few friends have suggested that I should restart blogging. I had a reasonably successful blog back in the days before my entry into politics. It was called Public Bar Wisdom and it garnered a few hits having been highlighted by Iain Dale a couple of times - once I recall for a mildly amusing post about someone silencing the caff by asking for a vegetarian breakfast, realising their cultural error and quickly ordering black pudding on the side (no it was not Andy Burnham).
Sadly I had to suspend and then delete those musings when I got involved with politics as a few of the posts might have 'given cause for embarrassment' (I think that was the phrase). Cowardly I know but political ambition has this effect.
Anyway I have now decided to write again from time to time. It will be a random, inconsistent, and illogical take on whatever catches my attention. Politics, sport, show-business, films, telly, books, tips (what would Farringdon do?) may all get covered. With no (ok little) political ambition left I can be indiscreet, forthright, frank, rude and of interest only to myself. If anyone else enjoys it that will be a bonus.
And as for Fanny Cradock? I vaguely remember her from my childhood, lots of make up, smoking when interviewed on Parky and giving hopeless Johnny a hard time. Mention of her this morning brought back some memories and a brief bit of research revealed what an interesting life she led. So why not write about it? Her story would make a great subject for one of those films BBC4 like doing.
Not only is she credited with inventing my favourite starter (prawn cocktail) but she married 4 times (twice bigamously) and got sacked by the BBC for being rude. Oh and Fanny is still racing slang for the the place where the horses parade before a race, although sadly for reasons which are probably obvious Nick Luck never hands over to Jim McGrath 'to have a look at the horses in the fanny' - even on Channel 4.

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