And so with the first hints of autumn stealing into my days I have been idly wondering what telelvision show will be the next compulsive, obbsessive time-waster that will keep me cosy on the couch throughout winter. And then, lo and behold, there it is, glistening seductively on the shelf - an oldie but the one that began my fascination with 'arthouse' television. Yes, the weird and wonderful world of David Lynch as experienced through Twin Peaks is back on the shelves and on special this month. Blueberry pie, 'wrapped in plastic', and the delights of that small odd town 'Twin Peaks. Who could ask for more?

Oh, you could?

Well, how about the sublime family story of life, love and death - Six Feet Under? I could watch that again from start to finish and still remain weeping and devastated on the couch as I did when I first watched the whole series to its bittersweet, heartfelt end.

And then, if that isn't enough to have you glued to the plasma, sit through the first series of Californication and tell me that you haven't been able to crack a smile, laugh out loud and gasp with a 'they didn't just do that, did they?' Sure, the joy is unusual but smart and never dull.

Similarly, with Weeds, another well-rounded and well-written family story, it reels you in and makes you pay attention - and makes you laugh and cry. Mary-Lousie Parker is simply fabulous as the marijuana selling (and then growing) suburban mother just trying to make a living.

If you are looking for delightfully superficial and evilly funny viewing time, you really can't go past Nip/Tuck. Plastic surgeons with their own agendas and quite ridiculously complicated personal lives. 'Now, tell us what you don't like about yourself'...always raises a smile.

Of course, for the more high-brow and cultured of us, Deadwood is HBO Shakespeare. This gritty, re-telling of the settling of the American frontier, has everything from gunfights to girls, from bawdy whisky-fuelled acts of bravery to corrupt Mayors and miners. It is a true re-imagining and a real delight. And, considering the linguistic joy that Swearengen brings, the series might just work for the whole of winter.

There is something breathtaking or bedazzling about watching fabric, clothes, beauty and the catwalk all come to life on the screen. We have had a plethora of films that specifically look at the fashion world and Valentino: The Last Emperor is one of the best. Can I say it's heartwarming? Yes, and fun and gaudy and glamourous and exquisite.

The other new DVD release is The September Issue, R.J. Cutler's documentary focused on the September issue of American Vogue, staring the Editor, Anna Wintour, (commonly referred to as 'Nuclear Wintour') but in which she is all but completely overshadowed by the one and only Grace Coddington, Vogue's Creative Director. It is a great documentary and reveals the art, the imagination and the business that go to make up the fashion world.

There are two DVDs out on Coco Chanel right now. One Coco Avant Chanel is the film that was in cinemas last year staring Audrey Tatou as Coco Chanel but the other is much more interesting. Shirley MacLaine is Coco in Coco Chanel, a television mini series that aired in the States in 2008. She received rave reviews and many nominations for this performance (which hasn't been shown in Australia) and deservedly so. 'She conquered with style' is the tag line and while the clothes are still in the foreground, they are hung on the story of an amazing life wrapped up in suits, pearls and cigarette holders. (Although any collaboration with the Nazis isn't mentioned.)

Then there is Young Victoria and Victor Victoria. Two films so completely different in story and scope but both with clothes and panache front and centre. Emily Blunt stars as the young Queen Victoria and looks resplendently regal in gowns and jewels and hair of the period as she cuts swathes down hallways and across well-kept gardens.

But Julie Andrews steals the show in Victor Victoria, a great singing and dancing film with quite a bit of cross dressing, allowing Andrews to dress up in tails and top hats as she taps away in Paris, earning her money as Victor. Directed by Blake Edwards, it is such a great film and it is lovely to see it back on the shelves. And I just realised that four of the six films I have mentioned all take place in Paris...the beating heart of fashion, folly and faux pas.

Yes, the Winter Olympics are over and I barely (except for the justified community outcry over McGuire and Molloy's homophobia) even noticed it was happening. That's not to say I wasn't interested - I just never watched any apart from the occasional news bulletin. But, for those of you who are feeling bereft, at a loose end, unsure of what game to watch next, have a peruse of the sport section (right next to the humour section which I think is funny) in the shop.

Andre Agassi's autobiography Open is a fabulous insight in what it takes to become a tennis champion and what it takes to stay at the top. He tells all there is to tell - the bad and the good - about growing up with a great ability to return those balls over the net.

Cadel Evans is one of my favourite athletes. I have no idea why. Except perhaps for the French Alps. Maybe that's what it is - his ability to train, pursue and stay throughout that whole Tour De France and still be charming at the end. His biography, written with Rob Arnold, is called Close To Flying, and while it is somewhat uneven, for insight into what it takes to ride the Tour de France, it is fascinating.

I can never tell if the cricket season is starting or finishing but Gideon Haigh, that master of so many subjects with so much eloquence, insight and passion, does. He is a cricket historian (and nut) but his latest cricket book Vincibles: A Suburban Cricket Season is something quite different. He isn't looking at the history, the legacy of captains, the best grounds, the scores, the ducks - he is looking at himself and his own suburban cricket team, The Yarras. Funny and heartwarming it may just make you want to start up a game in the street.

Of course, while you are out in the street, skateboarding may be your preferred sport. Is it a sport I wonder - or a pastime? Is it ever going to be in the Olympics? If tobogganing is why not skateboarding? Particularly, if the IOOC really are considering pole dancing... For your complete starter kit, try Corbin Harris' Ultimate Guide to Skateboarding and for fans, the book includes some incredible photos.

And just so you know, I have taken up jogging. My style though is more like a 'jalk' or even a 'wog', if you know what I mean. But, armed with 50 Marathons 50 Days: The Secret to Super Endurance I am going to build my stamina, my lungs and my legs. Can't wait. And to keep me motivated, I always think of this:

Jack: What are your legs?

Archy Hamilton: Springs. Steel springs.

Jack: What are they going to do?

Archy Hamilton: Hurl me down the track.

Jack: How fast can you run?

Archy Hamilton: As fast as a leopard.

Jack: How fast are you going to run?

Archy Hamilton: As fast as a leopard.

Jack: Then lets see you do it.

Remember that? And then Jean Michel Jarre's track Oxygène starts playing in my head. Yes, the quote is from Gallipoli. And now I am not in sport but war. Are they intricately linked?