Festival Of Fire Shocker

June 25, 2010

tags: Blue water Yachting, Cote D Azur, Currencies Direct, Ex Pats Golf, Festival Of St Jean, fr2day, Living In France, Moving To France, Valbonne, Yachting

And so to Valbonnne for the festival of St Jean. As my photo shows, one could be forgiven for thinking it was the festival of St Blaize, such was the level of pyrotechnic danger witnesses in Valbonne square tonight.

Festival of St Blaize, almost literally

Kids as young as 5 holding blazing torches looks more like a celebration of St Blaize than St Jean, unless he or she (St Jean) was the patron saint of arsonists, but who am I to comment? St Matches would have been quite apt! but it was certainly exciting, a bit like watching a bomb disposal officer defusing a live bomb.

I do know that Health and Safety UK style would have stopped this festival in its tracks before the first molotov cocktail had been lit. But all’s well that ends well and the burns unit at the Esperance clinic hospital in Mougins passed a quiet night as far as I am aware, so has political correctness and the nanny state of health and safety gone to far in the UK?

The answer probably lies in a happy medium, as my friend Claire Voyant once told me, all I know is that we experienced a nice happy evening until the resident plasterer got arsy, as is her want after too many nights on the tiles. We all know not to argue, but to pretend to listen and to go straight to bed without arguing when the black mist envelopes her. Thankfully all is forgotten in the morning.

And so to work this morning. My writing capabilities have finally been recognised and I have been hired by Peter Bennett of Blue Water in Antibes to write sexy articles about yachting (like standing in a shower and ripping up £20 notes as I was once told) and holidays and the like. I forgot to mention my fear and loathing of proper sailing.

The last time I went on a boat was 3 years ago. I was invited to sail from Golfe Juan to St Tropez for lunch at Cinquante Cinq. This all seemed a spiffing idea on the way out of the harbour with a glass of champagne in hand, I took up that normal sailing position, legs apart, hands clasped behind my back, in fact I could have done with a captain’s hat, I wonder of Wayne had one in that pile I caught him wearing recently, actually that’s such a good picture I am going to show it again!

Bet there is a yacht captains hat in there somewhere

Anyway, the brisk wind blew up and I just about made it to St Tropez with the help of those special wrist bands to stop one being seasick. We had a very nice lunch and then as we were about to board for the short trip back, the captain said that there was a force 4 breeze forecast, so I said I would take the train. Against my better judgement I was persuaded by my children to get on the boat, tooled up with those special wrist bands on each wrist and not more than 90 seconds after leaving the harbour I had deposited all of my very expensive lunch over the infrastructure of this lovely white yacht.

So, just the man to write fluffy pieces about yachting, right?

Chris France

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

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