Jimi Hendrix at Cowes Regatta?

Even aged 4, I have a picture of me on a beach refusing to take my shoes and socks off, so the water aversion started early.  I was once invited to a champagne reception in Cannes harbour, but just as I was about to board, the boat moved. I went to the Irish pub instead.

Two years ago I was persuaded to take a boat down to St Tropez for the day and was sick as a dog on the way back, redistributing a nice lunch across the Mediterranean, so I am predisposed towards hating going on boats, however many have a lovely form and evoke a lifestyle to which I aspire, so I like looking . Recently I have written aver 50 articles on yachts despite knowing almost nothing about them, but don’t tell Pete at Bluewater Yachting.

Tonight the celebrations commence for the wingcos birthday. He wont tell us how old he is but we suspect something in his late 60’s is about right, so a bit of square bashing (v. meaning to abuse food an alcohol in Valbonne Square) now that most of the tourists have gone. This should be considered pre tournament training for our tennis match on Saturday. Doubtless we will discuss tactics and forget anything we have said by the time we get on court, as is customary. I have suggested that he might like to purchase a post war racket but he will have none of it. Apparently if it was good enough for Fred Perry, it is good enough for him.  I think it was made before even cat gut was invented, it appears to be constructed of something like wattle and daub, certainly there is a cloud of dust whenever he hits the ball but I cannot work out whether that is coming from the racket or him. . Actually, daub is an idea, perhaps if we daubed our faces in some warlike way we may scare our opponents into submission, we need something.  I suspect ignominious could be the description of our defeat.

Actually the wingco tells me he was at the Isle of Wight, as were my old pals Otway and religious nut Jet Spotter (who confirmed his intolerance of anything vaguely critical of religion in a comment on this blog recently). With his (the wingcos) upper class upbringing and attending all the right schools, none of which I have ever heard of, I was certain he meant he was on the Isle Of Wight for the Cowes Regatta until he mentioned Jimi Hendrix, unless there was a stalwart of Cowes week of the same name?

In an overhang from my teetotal three days, and the boring nature that I developed during that time, my picture today is of a fungus I found when out walking this morning.  You will be glad to hear that I slipped off the wagon today so will hopefully become more interesting by the end of the weekend.

Pharmacies in France are required to identify any mushroom or toadstool you take them, to see if there are edible. I did not bother with this one - it looks deadly to me.

Chris France      

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