Marinaland?

Today my guests from Yorkshire are due to make the long trek back to the frozen north. Before that though, they have decided to go to Marineland, but what they have been calling Marinaland in Biot, the aquatic park where the attractions include sharks, polar bears and killer whales. I am not certain if that is what they are expecting, I have heard it suggested that they believe it may be a large display of Morris Marinas, the iconic working class car of choice in the 1970’s.

When faced with a question about uncertainty, our lovely house guest Rachel said that she was not sure whether she was certain or not. She is from Yorkshire, so I could not resist the old gag about the word “gullible” not appearing in the English Dictionary. It may have been funny if she had understood the joke, but hey ho.

Beautiful sunny weather took us to the beach again at Juan Les Pins and La Petite Plage in particular, where our guests insisted in ordering the biggest bottle of wine they could find, a double magnum of rose as my picture today depicts;

Having arrived back from the beach on the train, I was looking forward to a quiet evening with perhaps a sun downer, but with a rather nice magnum of St Estephe cru bourgeois opened, it seemed churlish to refuse to help drink it, and then I cannot recall the full sequence of events. However I do recall my son asking if he could have a beer with some of his friends, and this morning it looks like I have been robbed. Every last beer has gone from the beer fridge several bottles of wine, but whoever robbed me rubbed salt in the would by drinking all the beers and wine, jaegermeister, vodka and gin and leaving all the bottles strewn around our new terrace, which has been dubbed “the web” for reasons that are becoming clearer. Before I call the police however, I will be talking to my son this morning to see if he can throw any light on events.

Doubtless, post Marinaland, on the way to the airport, just to make absolutely sure our house guests leave, we may take a late lunch en route. In some ways it is a bit sad they are leaving, they have turned from blue to white in the recent sunshine, and I think I detected a rosy cheek last evening, or was it a cheeky rose?

There will be no rest this week for the wicked, as another renegade from the English weather, Mr Clipboard, is flying in for a few days and demanding to play golf on Monday afternoon between 3.45 and 5.45. As usual his visit has been carefully choreographed to ensure he makes the fullest possible use of his time in the sunshine, and as is also customary, I have received my schedule in triplicate.

Luckily, I do not seem to have been assigned any activities on Tuesday during the day at least, so I shall be using this day as the day in which to achieve my weeks work. The world of currencies will reap the whirlwind of my activities then.

The book is nearing completion. It will be ready for publication by the end of the month, after which I shall be seeking a summer date for the launch, which I hope will take place under the tender guidance of the English Book Centre in Valbonne. I have not yet received the offer from head honcho Lin Wolff, but given the clear commercial possibilities here, I think I should be able to pay her something…

Chris France