Mr Clipboard on the horizon

Occasionally, people who have the best intentions who live here in gods own land, are forced by circumstances, to return to that dank dark drizzly place called England. I am not talking about my own woes here, when I have to return for a few days for a wedding, oh no, I am referring to something much more permanent.

Such is the case of my old friends Mark and Ashley Gurdon, who beat us down to Valbonne from England by at least a year, maybe more but have had to return to blighty. Happily for them, they have been able to retain property down here and visit regularly, usually when the weather has been disgraceful in the UK as has been the case this week.

However, something happens to their sense of perspective. The normal ex pat existence of spontaneity is replaced by an ugly sense of time keeping, planning and, as I think those ghastly Americans call it, schedualising, although they would probably drop the “h” much as I am prone to do on occasions, especially when confronted with a trip to Louth.

Such a fate has befallen Mark Gurdon. When he visits now, he carries a clipboard to ensure that his schedule runs smoothly, containing flow charts, timings, contingency plans, phone numbers, blood groups etc. Thus we are due to play 9 holes of golf at 3.06 on Monday, and afterwards has a “window” of 45 minutes for 2 beers, and then it is on to the next appointment. He is now known as Mr Surrey Clipboard.

Such is his new-found obsession with time keeping that the idea of being spontaneous has utterly disappeared. How this inflexibility will gel with the laissez faire attention to time keeping employed by the wingco, who is also expected to join us for golf on Monday (assuming he arrives before the tee time, remembers to bring his clubs, remembers which day and remembers which course we have booked etc) will be fascinating to behold.

The wingco and Mr Gurdon

He claims that this newly employed organisational habit is necessary given his commitments back in England, but l have many friends back in the UK who survive without this burgeoning administration, and they have actual jobs as well!

Last night, having found our intended venue, Quint and Sens in Roquefort Les Pins closed and for sale, plans changed in that spontaneous Riviera way alluded to above and we ventured into Valbonne square in the hope that the tourist invasion was over. It is not quite but we got away with it.

Valbonne Square in July and August is normally avoided at all costs due to the seasonal influx. For a change we had dinner at Terra Rossa, under the arches of the Hotel Armouires in the old square, and very good it was too. My fillet au pouivre was perfectly cooked au point and that nice lady decorator expressed satisfaction with the Salad Terra Rossa with gambas.

Lively discussion developed with diners on the next table about life in Valbonne in general and baby tortoises in particular and suddenly we have visitors this afternoon after golf. Mr Gurdon, cast your thoughts back to less organised times!

Thus whilst being physically roasted this morning, at the same time I shall be metaphorically roasting the opposition, a good grounding for taking the money tomorrow as well, when apart from Mr Clipboard and the wingo, we shall be joined by Mr Paul Thornton Allan, newly amongst the ranks of the 60 somethings. Mr T A, as he is known, has been in England this week and claims that fires were lit and heating switched on already due to rain and temperatures as low as 9 degrees.

Chris France      

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