Sarkozy pig story a porkie pie?

July 5, 2010

tags: Food & wine, Living In France, Moving To France, Sunny France, Travelling In France, Valbonne

With every mile northwards the temperature drops at the same pace as my spirits. England is looming, well as I speak it is still some 500 miles to the north, but you get my drift.

On the journey through France I am struck by the lack of traffic, well, traffic going north that is, as my picture shows the traffic going south is jammed for mile after mile, the road is crammed with people trying to escape, whilst the traffic flowing back to England is almost non-existent. I think there is a message here which if you are not receiving from me, look at the picture!

The lucky escapees from England head south whilst the unlucky few head north

That nice lady decorator aka the resident plasterer believes that I should not have revealed that porker in yesterdays picture as Sarkozy, she believes that I made up their names, but regular readers will know that this column only ever faithfully reports facts, exactly as I see it or hear them, or on the odd occasion as I want them to be .

Chateau Cocove has changed hands and is no longer on my recommended list. An average meal, well below the standard we have previously enjoyed, with wines opened away from the table is a sure sign of the new owners are failing to maintain the standars set by the previous incumbents. It is still a great setting, and a beautiful chateau but now the Chris France seal of approval is rescinded pending a return visit later this month, albeit perhaps temporarilily, unless things improve, I don’t see how the business can survive.

We awake this morning near Calais to something rare in my beloved Valbonne, cloud. A thick and ominous layer of it which increases my feeling of doom and confirms my suspicions of media hype of the weather in England.

We are close to the UK so no doubt this cloud is the forerunner of the inevitable rain that will confront us when we set foot again in the home land this afternoon.

That nice lady decorator, who insisted against my better judgement that we take her 2 dogs back to the UK with us at vast expense – the cost of bringing them across the channel was far in excess of the cost of our 4 x 4 and two adults – has had her comeuppance straight away. Banjo, the evil “cocker spaniel” (he’s 35 kilos for Christ’s sake!) has already been sick in his basket and even the proper dog Max has urinated in his lead. I am glad I do not have dogs.

And so it came to pass, entirely as predicted, within 20 minutes of leaving the Channel tunnel, the first rains began splattering the dead insect encrusted windscreen.

Jeans have now replaced shorts and my jumper which I had not seen since March is now wrapped around my shoulders, and my mood descends to a new low.

However, I am determined to be positive. I am of the school of thought that a glass is half full rather than half empty, so where better to put that theory to the literal test than an English riverside pub. As I write this in the Trout at Tadpole Bridge on the banks of the Thames, with a pint of Youngs Special in my hand, I find a certain solace in adversity. This may be my life for the next three weeks, so I must be strong.

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