Totty du Jour

It would have been the birthday today of the ultimate Gallic sex god, Alain Delon [who sadly departed for the "Swooning Lounge" in Fabulon in August].

I could wallow in his beauty all day...

Of Wallen, Appeltaart, Jonge mannen, Dansen, Grachten, RIPs en Hartjes

We're still coming down to earth after another fantabulosa long weekend in "our second home", Amsterdam!

Madam Arcati, Baby Steve, Houseboy Alex and I wandered the grachten, spent hours just people-watching, visited sleazy flesh-pots (Spyker Bar is our fave) and bruin cafes, paid our tributes to Café Montmartre - for many years my/our best-loved bar in the 'Dam - which has closed after 42 years but is due to reopen in a new location sometime later this year, ate at FEBO and Eetsalon Van Dobben, sang along to Dutch songs at Café 't Mandje, and just basically enjoyed ourselves!

It was a joy to once again be in the centre of things [our hotel is in the Red Light District!] for "freshers' weekend" - where loads of gorgeous boys in white shirts and ties (or sometimes just topless) play silly games, drink and dance on boats, and make a lot of noise all over the place:

Amsterdam student house

[see our visit to Amsterdam in 2019 for a photo from that year's event]

We were also, for the first time in years, encouraged - nay, cajoled - to dance by the faboo DJ at The Queen's Head! And dance. we certainly did - for several hours!!

[I would post the video evidence, but it's just too embarrassing]

A great discovery this year was the wonderfully historic Jordaan landmark Café 't Papeneiland, home of possibly the most delicious Dutch apple pie ever!

And, to finish - on our last day, before we needed to depart for our flight home, we once again caught the "indelibly Amsterdam" Zeedijk local festival - where a full breakfast is laid out all along the street for all to consume, and men dress as women and women dress as men - Hartjesdag!

Hartjesdag 2024 - breakfast sing-a-long

Hartjesdag 2024 - parade

We departed, tired but happy.

Is it good to be back?

NO!!

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Did we miss anything while we were away? Ukraine's still having a bit of a morale-boost as President Zelenskiy's surprise incursion across the border continued to hold, much to that cunt Putin's chagrin; the papers were, and still are, all over the news that a tornado struck a super-yacht owned by one of Britain's wealthiest self-made billionaires and several mega-rich people are missing, presumed dead as a result; a fire in the roof of a wing of historic Somerset House in London took five fire engines and a crew of 100 firefighters to extinguish - with (thankfully) no damage to any of the building's art collections; the world's oldest woman died, aged 117; and, finally - some boffin or other with more time on his hands has proposed that ice-lolly-licking should be in the UK school curriculum.

We missed marking the 90th birthdays of Love Letters singer Ketty Lester and the fine old British actor Sir John Standing, Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes' 75th, the 60th of Show Me Heaven singer Maria McKee - and, of course, the birthday of Our Glorious Leader Madonna (66)! Departures during the weekend included US talkshow host Phil Donahue (whose show became popular in the UK when shown on late-night ITV in the 1980s), "Gunner 'La Di Da' Graham" in It Ain't Half Hot Mum John Clegg...

...and one of the sexiest men ever to have graced a screen, the gorgeous Alain Delon! RIP, mon cher! [more M Delon]

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And finally - did I bring anything back for your delectation, dear reader? Natuurlijk!

This:

Wesly Bronkhorst - Kom allemaal maar in mijn armen

Proost!!

Pleasure is our principle

Come in the garden, Love,
Come and enjoy the jasmine bloom;
It blooms for you.

The greatest joy in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers at the moment is the heavenly scent of our magnificent Jasminum polyanthum - finally paying us back for years of nurturing [and suffering; its buds have been devastated by winter gales, not least the "Beast from the East", several years running]. You only have to step out of the back door and the perfume is overwhelming...

Another ideal way to "de-stress" in these lockdown, confined-to-quarters times is, of course, to wallow in the lives of impossibly glamorous people [especially Alain Delon] in exotic locations once again - courtesy of the ever-reliable Soft Tempo Lounge!

Soft Tempo Lounge - La Belle Vie

Heavenly, indeed.

[Music: Alan Moorhouse - Now and Then]

Hypnotique

As he celebrates his 80th birthday today, the utterly gorgeous Alain Delon continues to court controversy - his support for the right-wing Front National in France and less-than-enlightened comments on homosexuality are hardly endearing traits.

I am, however, completely in agreement with the actor Vincent Lindon, who recently said: "He had this infernal beauty, it's hypnotising... You can look at photos of him for hours and hours."







So true.

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (born 8th November 1935)

France still in thrall to its 'sacred monster' Alain Delon

More of the divine M Delon here, here and here.

Totty du jour

The ultimate Gallic sex god - and avowed favourite here at Dolores Delargo Towers - Alain Delon is 79 years young today! To celebrate, here's a rare clip of the man singing...

Alain Delon - Comme au Cinéma

With fireworks, as well!

J'aime M. Delon...

Bon anniversaire, mon cher.

Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (born 8th November 1935)

More Alain Delon here and here.

Even more Alain Delon, courtesy of my other half Madam Arcarti's Random Jottings blog.

Viennent à lit les yeux

I make no excuses for indulging myself in the beauty of Alain Delon, on this, the smouldering one's 76th birthday...













Bon anniversaire!

Read my previous blog about M Delon

Alain Delon official website

Tu es comme le vent qui fait chanter les violons

Happy 74th birthday today to one of the most gorgeous men ever to grace a cinema screen - Alain Delon. One tends to run out of adjectives when describing this man - smouldering, sultry, seductive - he could read the telephone directory in French with that sexy voice and I would be happy!

M. Delon rose to superstardom in France in the 1950s, amid comparisons to James Dean and other Hollywood heartthrobs, and worked with the top producers and directors of his day such as Yves Allégret, Luchino Visconti, Jean-Pierre Melville and René Clément before founding his own production company. Movies such as The Leopard, Plein Soleil, Un Flic, Le Cercle Rouge and Le Samouraï brought him international fame and accolades.

Unsurprisingly his Gallic charm led to many relationships with beautiful women, including Bridget Bardot, Romy Schneider, Nathalie Barthélemy, Mireille Darc, Rosalie van Breemen (and many more, such as co-star Monica Vitti, if rumours are to be believed). He also recorded several songs over the years, including duets with superstars such as Dalida and Shirley Bassey. Despite officially retiring from the big screen he is still in demand, and occasionally makes an appearance on TV or in voice-overs (including the big-screen version of Asterix last year). And despite his age he is still sexy!



Little-known facts about Alain Delon:

• He was the first actor to play (The Talented Mr) Ripley, in the 1960 film Purple Noon.
• He had an affair with the legendary chanteuse Nico, and despite denying the fact, it was later proven that her baby was indeed his.
• His friendship with the Corsican Mafia led to a major scandal when one of his bodyguards was murdered and his body was discovered in Delon's rubbish bin.
• The Delon name has become a brand in its own right, on a range of products including cologne, wristwatches, clothing, eyewear, stationery and cigarettes.
• In 1999, he turned his back on France and his cinematic career and is now a Swiss citizen.

Happy birthday, mon cher!

Dalida and Alain Delon - Paroles, Paroles

Alain Delon in IMDB