Social Tornado torpedoed

June 23, 2010

tags: Cote D Azur, Currencies Direct, England v Slovenia, Ex Pats Golf, fr2day, Golf in Valbonne, Harry Enfield, Living In France, MIP TV, MIPCOM, Moving To France, Valbonne

Nothing happened. Nothing. No last-minute call to dinner, no spontaneous party, not even an invite to watch football. My life is over. It is a cruel flashback to what it was like in England all those years ago before I saw the light and moved the wonderful vibrant, socially wild Cote d’ Azur. It is a heartless warning of what lies ahead when we forsake these shores for much of July for the gale ridden and rain-soaked land that was my birthplace.

A friend, Simon Barrett, still sadly marooned in the UK like 75% of the UK population who are reported to be dreaming of or thinking of moving abroad, emails to say its 28 degrees in UK yesterday, he must be cursing his luck to be scraping frost off his car window in the mornings in June. To be 4 degrees below zero in mid summer must be devastating. He is a sad victim of the weather over there, he is so stressed that all his hair has fallen out and he stopped growing at the age if 9, but I tell him 5ft 3ins is a good size for a man brought up in such impoverished and frankly brutal surroundings. For all that he is a good man, he sends his very much taller and singularly beautiful wife Debbie over to MIPCOM and MIP TV, two media festivals held in Cannes each year to maintain contact with civilisation.
Some people have even decided to go the World Cup in South Africa in their winter to get away from the English summer weather, or in one case, to avoid a good thrashing on the golf course. I will not name names but Paul North will know who I mean.

So we stayed in last evening and watched Football. Shameful, because here we are in the heart of the social maelstrom of the south if France but even as I write, normal service has been resumed. An invitation to Cannes to watch England V Slovenia is received from Wayne at fr2day. I find it helps to receive invitations of one remembers to turn ones phone on. Slovenia is a curious name for a country, it sounds like a Harry Enfield invention. Perhaps there are others like Slobenia or Slopenia? Is Slovenia a latin metaphor for “England are crap and are going to get whipped”? We shall see but although I have high hopes for this afternoon they are matched by low expectations.

This morning to Mougins School to meet the yummy mummy’s working on the rescheduled (for this Saturday) School Fair and make the final arrangements for setting up and stocking the focal point of the whole day, the bar. I am still on the prowl for volunteers to help me man it, so if you see me in Valbonne and don’t want to help out, do not catch my eye.

My picture today was taken at the Grande Bastide scene of my epic victory in difficult circumstances last Sunday. It shows my 2 protagonists on the day, Dave Goddard from his best side (ie his backside) and Dilip Soni manfully filling out (almost to capacity) that shirt, and a duck that happened to walk by.

Duck following curious aroma

I hear rumblings that some people, concerned about the directness of the undeniable truth that is this daily insight, are considering an alternative blog. I welcome any attempt to project an alternative albeit wrong viewpoint, but talk is cheap!! I want to see action!

Chris France

buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance

Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/

Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/

Best French Riviera Property Agent?

http://www.afa-international.com/

http://frenchriviera-properties.com/

rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514

Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/

Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/

Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/

Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com