Don't fear the reaper

Blue Oyster Cult connect to Patti Smith, who in turn connects to Robert Mapplethorpe. I had hoped to go into Sheffield today to see a touring exhibition of his photographs at the Graves, but have decided it makes more sense right now to rest my foot and get it better before I hit the city pavements. I did go into Sheffield on Saturday to celebrate my son Jamie's birthday. We watched Tom Ford's film 'A Single Man'. I'd seen a great interview with Mark Lamarr and Tom Ford on the Culture Show about the film - I have never seen Mark Lamarr so coy! I haven't read the Christopher Isherwood story the film is based on. It was very poignant, especially after the sad news of Alexander McQueen's death. My former husband was in the fashion business, and I still subscribe to Vogue. I'd followed his career from early days, and felt he was a courageous and innovative designer. Sometimes suicide is a cry for help, sometimes it's a brave decision. I have known people who have approached it in those different ways. I can't help feeling that McQueen's was an act of courage after the loss of his great friend Isabella Blow, and more recently, his mother. Who am I to think that when it must be so desperate for his family and friends, but it's what I feel. There's so much in the air at the moment about assisted suicides, mercy 'murders'- not a day goes by without something in the news. Colin Firth's portrayal of a man preparing for suicide was amazing, and it was a thought provoking film with a sense of redemption. A timely blend of the worlds of fashion and film exploring such a topical subject, even though it's set in the 60s during the Cuban Missile crisis when life felt particularly fragile.