What to do when you get a call on the morning of the EU referendum result and can’t find a notepad? Diary resorted to scribbling on skin to make sure no salient point was missed. Upon seeing this on Twitter, Knight Frank’s Rian Strauss felt compelled to preserve the arms of EG journos in the future with an unexpected gift. Thank you, sir, you’re a true gent.
Searching for the truth
Diary would never be so bold as to question the sound-mindedness of Exemplar co-founder Dan Van Gelder, but was shocked to see that perhaps others might when looking up the developer on Google last week. Type in “Exemplar Dan” and the fourth suggestion that appears is “exemplar is dan losing his marbles”. A question posed by some of his colleagues, perhaps? After further research it turns out “Is Dan losing his marbles?” is in fact a children’s maths problem. We dare not research the term “exemplar husky star dancer” – the second suggestion – for fear of a telling off from our IT department.
It’s a dog’s life
Here at EG we thought we had seen it all when it comes to the weird and wonderful world of panel debates. Speakers falling off the back of stages, accidental swearing, technical disasters and even a panellist choking on an M&M (he was fine, by the way). But this week signalled a first: a participant of the canine variety – and a very enthusiastic one at that. Everyone was delighted to see that someone had brought their dog along to architect Buckley Grey Yeoman’s Building Creative Communities breakfast, making it the perfect example of a modern, inclusive environment. But while the pooch kept impressively quiet for the first half of the debate, the yapping and growling soon began in earnest, before the terrier scampered down past the rest of the audience for its five seconds of fame alongside the panel itself. Certainly a “ruff” start to the day.
Legal eagle-eyed
One of our regular contributors to Practice & Law was surprised, when poring over the recent Court of Appeal decision in Marlbray v Laditi, to find one section that didn’t quite seem to fit due to a sudden change of subject and tone. See for yourself: “…the appellant made a conscious decision not to raise or plead breach of warranty of authority against the 1st respondent until after the trial of the preliminary issue. I just wondered whether you are going up for lunch and if so when you take a letter to the Temple for me.” The errant request seems to have escaped the notice of all three Court of Appeal judges, and the lawyers involved in the case – but not our legal-eyed writer!
Stuck in a bubble
A trailer for the new Absolutely Fabulous film conjured up a rather forgettable MIPIM experience for Diary. Instantly recognisable in the promo reel is the iconic Bubble House, the apparent personal playground of designer Pierre Cardin, where comedic duo Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders are seen to be getting into strife. Lumley was, of course, last year’s EG Awards host and, Diary can confirm, every bit as lovely as you might imagine. But the Bubble House, incredible though it is, also has a twin abode some 30 miles away in Maison Bulle. The stunning Riviera hideaway is owned by Urban Splash’s Tom Bloxham, and the location of his annual post-MIPIM party. Diary was fortunate to be invited to Bloxham’s bash this year, but it was a long old schlep to get there, given we’d gone to the wrong Bubble House (MIPIM fatigue, you see). And given its clifftop position, a thoroughfare for taxis it is not.
