Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Queen and Portugal.
The Press Secretary had said that he urgently needed GWB (general well-being) and had decided to take a few days off. When asked what GWB was, he had told the Queen that it was an EU directive (actually it was an invention by Blair and Tessa Jowell) but he was determined not to spoil his weekend by...
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Monday, July 3, 2006
Queen and that dog again!
The Press Secretary had made them a delicious chocolate cake mousse as he felt that they needed cheering up. It contained a crispy base with ground almonds and then topped with a chocolate and coffee flavoured mousse with a dash of rum which was soft and sensuous on the palate. Being a bit of a...
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They sat in the castle courtyard at Gubbio where a slight breeze fooled them into thinking that it was cooler there. Temperatures were pushing 35° and the installation of the air con had been botched by the Ministry of Culture saying that the units would ruin the exterior of the building which was...
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Queen discusses cuts
"So, who IS Alice?" asked the Queen impatiently. "Oh just a friend of our Prince Toto' - she runs a 'Yoga School' in Milan and specialises in massage, relax (as the Italians call it) and body on body. Actually she recalls him as a gentlemanly type but never had enough money. She charges €300 a time"...
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Sunday, June 25, 2006
Queen is worried about the Prince's dog!
They were having lunch in the dormobile. The Press Secretary had prepared an al fresco lunch as it was a most beautiful day on Capratica beach. He had brought them beautifully crisp local bread together with some bufalo ricotta cheese and grilled aubergines prepared with chilis, oil and parsley....
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Monday, June 19, 2006
Queen and the World Cup
" Any news on the Would- Be King in prison?" asked the Queen, first thing that morning. "Oh, you mean Toto'", the Press Secretary said mischievously. "I thought Toto' was an Italian comic actor" "Oh, yes of course, but the Prince of Savoy is known as Toto' within the family circle" "I am so glad...
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Saturday, June 17, 2006
Queen is shocked !
They were just tucking into a delicious plate of pasta (shrimps with slivers of courgettes and cherry tomatoes) with a refreshing glass of Falanghina white wine, when the Press Secretary knocked on the dining room door. The interruption was therefore most unwelcome. “Shocking news- they have...
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Sunday, June 11, 2006
Queen, football and blasphemy
They were still planning their strategy on how to approach the new Italian premier Mr. Romano Prodi who had now been in power for about a month. It would be difficult to wean them off Mr B. as his enthusiasm and optimism were quite appealing but he was a loser. He had even written to all the major...
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Thursday, June 8, 2006
Queen learns espresso secrets
The Press Secretary arrived at Gubbio Castle at about 11.am. As he mounted the stairs to the main drawing room where they always read the papers, he did not hear their chatter and laughter. Slightly worried at this eerie silence, he knocked gently on the door and not hearing the usual imperious...
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Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Queen wants to learn more about 'real' coffee.
The first thing the Press Secretary had to do was to fix the coffee. He sneaked in early to the Gubbio castle kitchens and was confronted by Maria, a Rumanian immigrant. She was the general factotum - the only servant they could afford now and she, like the Secretary, was grossly underpaid. "What...
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