Global Despots and Other Visitors

I am passingly familiar with 'Tea with Mussolini' from popular culture, but never expected that I would be waiting in on a Friday morning for coffee with Stalin, at least someone sharing a name with someone (self) dubbed as the "Coryphaeus of Science," "Father of Nations," "Brilliant Genius of Humanity," "Great Architect of Communism," and "Gardener of Human Happiness," probably wont be short of conversation. The Stalin in question is our local insurance agent who is coming to assess us - whether he joined the insurance industry to sow and nurture the seeds of human joy will indeed be interesting to find out. Coryphaeus is not a name I have come across til now - they were mostly Robsons, Woods, Fairbairns, Liddels and the like by the north Tyne - mmm turns out it is not a name after all (I never knowingly bypass an opportunity to highlight my lack of classical education) but a word for the leader of the chorus. Hence the term (sometimes in an Anglicized form "coryphe") is used for the chief or leader of any company or movement. The coryphaeus spoke for all the rest, whenever the chorus took part in the action, in quality of a person of the drama, during the course of the acts. This blog is becoming positively Reithian in its values.

Of other guests: Gordon the Gecko chose to visit our bedroom this morning adding an additional haunting dimension to the already ethereal 'Helen Taylors Eyes' painting on the wall, plus disturbingly Buffy and Angel are MIA. We will host our first proper 'human' guests this evening - so I face a day of intense househusbandry, managing the servants and of course choosing which one of my little black numbers to wear. Perhaps I could go for the Fanny Cradock (I had to explain who she was to Mrs Reiver - young people nowadays pah) approach (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane make up, dubious food hygiene,a domineering manner, and lots of brandy and cream), but I am not sure I can get Mrs Reiver to wear the moncole. The guests will be both Indian and French so may need to go East meets West with a soupcon of gallic flair - so coq au vindaloo served wearing a beret it is. In my time honored and minimum working capital approach I will walk the food shops and listening carefully to hear what talks to me and then try and form it into if not a well known - at least edible gustatory phrase or saying - I don't want to end up getting too coryphic feedback from Mrs Reiver!
Food turned out ok last time we entertained a few people including a frenchman ;-) (, so remain confident - somebody has to be!
Given location and time differences it is also pertinent to take advantage of modern technology to socailly interact. I knew the heat must be getting to me when I caught myself throwing virtual snowballs on a popular social networking site this morning but was then surprised by the opportunity for virtual parenting and ended up tucking in my 19 year old student son at 3am UK time - aah bless .... or NUGs as I believe they say in Lufbro?

PS Reflecting on the title of this and my previous blog I would like to make it perfectly clear that I do not consider Valerie Singleton to have been a global despot - she might have bossed John Noakes round a bit but that was all.