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I’ve a jungle in my kitchen.

My first cycle of indoor window sill herb growing may soon be coming to an end.

The repotted basil and chives seem to be, quite literally, growing before my eyes.

They obviously enjoyed being moved into the kitchen, and have shown it by getting taller, no doubt trying to reach the sun which streams in through the window, especially in the late afternoon and evening.

The basil leaves are now large canopies, and it even smells like basil should, whereas the chives seem to be reaching for the sky, looking like long and wispy fingers.

The coriander is still slowly but surely getting there, and I think it will have to be moved and repotted soon too, to continue the new-found growth.

Otherwise, for the six-week-old kitchen window sill crops at least, it could soon be time for cutting, bagging, and freezing.

It’s a strange thing to admit, but I don’t think I’ve ever properly been to France.

Not even for a meaningful day out.

This was put right though today, as we headed out on a hypermarket run to Calais, via Boulogne-sur-Mer, a little further down the coast.

An early start was followed by an apt croissant breakfast, after which we piled into the (French-made) car and headed down to Folkestone. Obviously, I’d never taken the Eurotunnel Shuttle either, and was impressed with the way in which it disappears into the Channel Tunnel, and emerges in the land of coffee, the world’s most romantic language, and snails.

While the grown-ups headed for the hypermarkets, we explored the old town, surrounded by fortified remains. The walk was a pleasant one, although being only 20 or so miles away from Blighty meant that we’d brought the cold and grey weather with us.

Not so good for taking pictures.

We did capture good scenes though. Arriving at the castle, we were even witness to a wedding, the happy couple being photographed with friends and family, unaware that above them were two peeping English travellers.

The food more than made up for any picture shortcomings though. The mussels which were served to me in a proper moule pot were very fresh, as we’d only seen them being brought in from the shore a few minutes earlier.

And, with Nik being more than a little au fait with the language, we all enjoyed what we had wanted to order.

The train home was early, and as the car was swallowed into the industrial-looking carriage, it dawned on us that we were the solitary car on that deck.

Reminding me of the interior from a Bond or Kubrick film, we reflected on the day’s events, and let the train take the strain, speeding us through the countryside, and towards home.

Next stop, Paris.

‘Each and every item in this collection evokes a myriad of memories and marks a time and place in my life.

Some of these costumes have played leading roles in my live performances and videos, while others have been mere walk-ons, but each one has played its part. I have laughed, cried, celebrated and waited in these outfits… I’ll leave you to imagine which.

Were it not for my parents, I’m sure this collection would be the size of a suitcase rather than an exhibition space.’

Source: Kylie Minogue, Kylie, V&A Publications in association with the Arts Centre, Melbourne

Going to Kylie - The Exhibition at the V&A tonight, was something of a treat, if like me, you’re more of a Kylie fanatic, than just a fan.

Though my fan worship reached its pinnacle some years ago, I’ve avidly followed the career and life of the tiny Australian for over twenty years, and it was this fact that was made perfectly clear to me tonight.

Only on for another two weeks, the exhibition of costumes and memorabilia at the V&A charts how ‘Kylie, as a performer, has used her wardrobe to create an image that is known worldwide.’

Whether she’s a contemporary style icon or not, for me, tonight was all about the costumes, the music, and celebrating the person, whose music and image I love the most.

And, there was much to celebrate.

The costumes were only part of the exhibition. Photographs charted Kylie’s many changing looks; awards displayed her standing in the music industry; while tour notes and design sketchbooks let us glimpse into the mysterious and hurried backstage world of dressing rooms, hydraulic lifts, quick changes, and running orders.

All in all, over 200 objects let us into Kylie’s world.

Being a great fan of the pop video (and as Kylie has produced some of the best), I wanted to see the costumes that brought these musical three-minute moments to life, and I wasn’t disappointed.

They were all here, including of course, the iconic white hooded jumpsuit from the ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ clip (though the Gucci-inspired lavender metallic dress was always the more iconic one for me).

The video outfits rubbed shoulders with shoes, props, and filming schedules, and, were shown in the same room as the actual clips themselves being played on a white screen wall.

For several moments, I was mesmerised. I couldn’t quite believe that the outfits I was looking at, were in fact the same ones that I could see being worn by the lady herself on the big screen, where she was lamenting a lost relationship, or singing about unrequited love.

Being up close and personal with the tour costumes was equally exciting. A veteran of five of Kylie’s different six live shows, these outfits were glamourous, but hardworking.

With their wear and tear from the punishing schedule and many costume changes, this is exactly how Kylie wanted them to be seen, and they must have been hard work themselves: the feather head-dresses weighty, and the corsets tight.

A recreation of Kylie’s dressing room from the Wembley set of ‘Showgirl Homecoming’ concerts revealed a few backstage secrets, and let us see only few of the pairs of shoes with which Kylie once claimed transform her into a high-heeled stuntwoman on stage.

All the record covers were present and correct too, forming part of the Kylie Timeline, and marking certain points in Minogue’s life and career. Looking at them spread out down one wall made me realise that these images and music could almost mark my life too, and brought back lots of comforting memories of where I was at any particular time.

A fan from the beginning, I feel that I’ve been accompanying Kylie on her journey, through the highs, the lows, the career rebirths, and the seemingly endless pairs of high heels.

With over 4,000 advance bookings before its opening, this exhibition has been one of the popular in the V&A’s history. And with over 500,000 visitors at the four venues it toured in Australia alone, many other voyeurs and fans have wished to celebrate or curiously peer into Kylie’s world, too.

After it’s finished wowing Londoners, it moves to the Manchester Art Gallery, and then the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

If you want to step back in time (come on, you didn’t expect me to get through this post without mentioning at least one Kylie song, did you?) and catch this celebration (another one) at the V&A, then book your tickets quick.

It spins out of town on June 10.

What are they putting into the (very clean) water at Wolfsburg these days?

I’ve always been a fan of small, fast hatchbacks, but this is something else. Yes, we’ve had mid-engined Renault 5s and Clios before, but this is the first time VW have tackled the concept of a hugely powerful, rear-wheel drive super-hatch.

And, boy, has it done it well.

Unveiled last week, it quite literally blew me away.

The Golf GTI W12-650 design study was created to take a starring role at the largest GTI festival in Europe, which was held last week in Woerthersee, Austria.

The idea is a simple one of course; big engine, little car. And, I’m surprised it’s taken Volkswagen this long to come up with the super-Golf. Borrowing an engine from the upmarket Phaeton will have been an easy job.

And I’m sure the company has the engineering skill to mate it to a box of (admittedly complex) bits.

So, the GTI W12-650 is a marriage between a three-door Golf GTI bodyshell, to a mid-mounted bi-turbo 650 PS W12 engine? If only it was that simple.

The 6.0-litre engine is bespoke, and is a development of the Phaeton’s unit. Linked to a pair of turbochargers, it is mounted on a unique aluminium subframe.

Cooling is provided by air being sucked in through a pair of side-mounted vents just ahead of the rear wheels. The rear-wheels? Yes, that’s right: the W12-650 is rear-wheel drive, too.

The performance figures are as impressive as the car itself.

The fastest-ever Golf produced by VW sprints to 62mph in 3.7 seconds, and could potentially shred its 295-profile tyres up to a 201.8mph maximum speed.

The maximum power of 648bhp is produced at 6,000rpm, while peak torque is capped at 553lbs ft at 4,500rpm. So, this singular concept GTI has the power of three regular ones.

Environmentally friendly? Of course not. An intoxicating performance powerhouse? Yes, undoubtedly.

That bodyshell’s not standard either, and if you look hard enough, doesn’t bear much resemblance to a road-going hot Golf.

Only the headlamps, doors, bonnet, and rear lights are taken from the standard Golf GTI.

A 160mm gain in width accommodates the mid-mounted engine, bespoke drivetrain, and the side-mounted cooling systems that 6.0-litre powerplant necessitates.

More air is fed into the car by the integrated cooling scoop on the carbon fibre roof, and the floating C-pillars further help in keeping the engine cold, by acting like flying buttresses, as the inner rear windows taper inwards.

Ride height is lowered by 70mm, and the extensive use of under floor aerodynamic aids (including a diffuser negating the need for a large rear wing) keep the super-hatch pinned to the ground at very high speeds.

Hugely-blistered wheel arches wrap themselves around a set of 19-inch wheels styled to mimic the road car’s alloys. It looks like a Wicked Art car caricature made real.

A nod to the Mk1 and Mk 2 GTIs sees the grilled topped and tailed with a red surround, while unique mesh-filled bumpers finish off the super-Golf’s look.

The interior sees the door trims replaced with screens, showing the internal door mechanisms, while three round gauges placed in the middle of the instrument cluster are also reminiscent of the original incarnation of VW’s evergreen hot hatchback.

Of course, the company will never make it. It’s a show car, pure and simple.

But, however long it’s taken them to do it, I’m glad it’s here. It shows that Europe’s largest car maker can still ratchet up the excitement scale a notch or two, as well as doing the worthy - if slightly dull - stuff.

So, although the hottest Golf ever may still be a GTI, it’s very much above par.

Update, 8 June 2007: It has been announced that the Golf GTI W12-650 will take centre stage at the UK’s biggest gathering of water-cooled and high-performance Volkswagens, GTI International, on 16/17 June.

I have a new friend.

I was greeted by this little meowing furry face as I arrived home from work tonight.

Prowling the back stairwell of the flats, he/she was hanging around on Sunday evening, too. Obviously seeking attention by calling and banister-rubbing, a tickle was promptly dispatched before I unlocked the flat door.

It must be a day for cats. As I made my way to the station, and after going missing for a few days, I saw the football ground cat this morning too (who was also tickled).

Lots of feline fun.