Some gentle dreamingbefore saying goodbye
By Tyler Brule
Published: December 9 2006 02:00 | Last updated: December 9 2006 02:00
Where are you reading today's edition of the FT? Are you parked at the breakfast table with a chocolate-brown labrador at your feet and a cup of Earl Grey to your left? Are you sitting quietly by the pool with a stack of weekend reading and a slight hangover from last night's office party? Or are you sitting in an airport lounge waiting for your chosen carrier to call your gate so you can get home after too many days on the road?
I've concocted a series of fantasy scenarios for my weekend reading regime that involve a cosy home tableau in a constantly changing European city, an indoor-outdoor set-up in a tiny Tokyo townhouse and a corner table in the café-cum-newsstand of my dreams. In scenario one I'm in a bright space high above the city and sitting on a bench alongside a well worn table from Truck Works in Osaka, on one wall there's a Mogens Koch shelving system heaving with the best reference library (also a pair of flatscreens running France 24, the new French 24-hour news service, and BBC World) and on the table there's my MacBook Pro, my third cappuccino of the morning, soft boiled eggs in yoghurt and chilli oil and a glass of fresh orange and grapefruit juice, mixed. Not far away Mats is reading a Swedish daily and under the table a Shiba Inu and French bulldog are fighting over a piece of toast. This week the city could be London, San Sebastian or Paris.
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In my Tokyo fantasy, I'm reading a home-delivered copy of this paper, the Daily Yomiuri and my laptop isn't far away - it's playing a download of the latest bulletin from CNN with my friend Fionnuala at the anchor desk in London. I'm sitting on the edge of a narrow deck that leads off the living room into a compact, hinoki-scented garden and there's a tray of assorted western and Japanese breakfast goodies served on Hakusan ceramics. The early winter sun is peaking through the trees and my friends Scott and Craig are visiting for the weekend. The little house has been designed by the firm Intentionallies and features two bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen, a small library and a large living room filled with a mix of Japanese, Danish and Norwegian furniture. The Shiba Inu and French bulldog also put in an appearance in Tokyo.
At the café-cum-newsstand of my dreams, the space is a mix of Ruby's in New York, Bills in Sydney, Sign in Daikanyama and Providores (when it's not heaving) in London. The coffees are thick and creamy, there are lots of eggy things on the menu and on the far side of the bar there's a newsstand stocking a highly edited selection of the best newspapers and magazines from around the world - Arne, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Tush, 032C, the NZZ, Il Foglio and some 500 other titles. The staff are wearing uniforms from Hakui and everyone is polite, well scrubbed and fresh-faced. For days when time doesn't permit, the café delivers your breakfast and assorted media on a perfectly balanced bicycle.
At the time of writing this week's column, I'm not even remotely close to any of the three scenarios as I'm in a small, though nicely appointed hotel room in Zurich and there'll be no time to sit and be leisurely with the day's papers. Come Saturday, I already know what the drill looks, sounds and smells like. While I'd love to spend a lazy day in Copenhagen buying Christmas presents from the Greenland shop and eating kanelhorn in various bakeries the reality is that I'll be on a Scandinavian A340 bound for Tokyo. While it's far from a hardship, it's also not remotely close to any of the three places I ideally see myself on an early December afternoon. The good news is that I will be arriving in my favourite city in just over 10 hours, I'll be welcomed back to my fourth official residence (the Park Hyatt), I will be able to experience part of my café fantasy at Sign on Sunday and I won't be short on retail solution for those last remaining Christmas presents.
Finally, a bit of housekeeping. Come December 30 I'm going to be flicking the turning indicator and pulling off the Fast Lane - at least in this current form. In reality I'll still be pin-balling around the world but after almost three years penning this column I'm off to a new series of ventures. For those of you who've never missed a Saturday with me, you'll know I'm no fan of special requests but in the spirit of the season and with three weeks to run I'm happy to indulge any questions or explore any topics you feel I might have missed - including the most asked questions of the last 36 months: 'What is it that you really do?' 'Is that your real name?' 'And how do you really get away with carry-on luggage only?'
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