College expenses, for me

My rigorous testing of the outdoor loungers initially went well yesterday, helped by the warm sunny weather and as yet there are no problems to report, except for one of the cushions on the flat sun lounger has  a small mark on it. I have made a note for the cleaner, aka that nice lady decorator, who was busy putting sand over the top of some recent cement work she has completed. You  can see from this illustration, that we all have our separate tasks to complete and that we all pull together when it comes to preparing our house and garden for the summer.

Talking of sand, I wonder if it is from the same batch that the Irish have imported?  it seems they reckon that when they get the sand laid down properly, they will drill for their own oil.

Now, I almost made it. The bar was set high, 3 days without a drink, and at 6pm last night, when I was due to play tennis,  I would have successfully completed my mission in total, but then with tennis postponed because of the non availability of the wingco, (very bad show) the news was received that my daughter had been accepted into the most expensive school in Christendom for her A levels, and there was unconfined joy throughout. At this stage no one had addressed the cost of such success, which is why the champagne was opened and any number of teenagers arrived to help celebrate and enjoy my largesse. I took a picture but it is too graphic to publish, there are so many empty bottles, all of which I have paid for, luckily in Euros,  that it was for too distressing for me, so it its place we have a nice picture from the cricket match at the weekend where the  Hammer Bottom Butsers were ceremonially raising their flag, in the same way that queen does when she is in residence.  I am just glad that they did not raise their game to such heights. I am also glad that there was no other reference to queens at all in the raising ceremony, especially as I am about to depart to Venice to meet with a couple of dear Norwegian gay friends.

The Hammer Bottom Butsers, raise their flag, if you get my meaning

So joy was unconfined, certainly I experienced joy for a nano second, that is until after the nano second had passed and during which, the euphoria,  which seemed to be universally encompassed, I had failed to concentrate on the real issue here, the cost. Suffice to say that I shall require daily reports from the school and, if, at any stage there is any suggestion of back sliding, then there will be trouble (for me).

So we will set off today for Portofino, the gem in the Italian Riviera, where no doubt we shall find some modest accommodation and a very reasonable Chianti to quell the thirst built up over a long day travelling, unless they have a Barolo or something similar, but that is to prejudge it, a full report of the journey will appear tomorrow.

Our departure for Venice means that we shall not be in Valbonne to witness the event to be staged by Dr Henry Brew, which will take place in Valbonne on Friday at 7:00pm at L.A Galerie Ada Loumani, Valbonne,  where a fund riser is taking place to help Henry’s dream of making water available in Africa.  Frankly, we have all the water we need here, and as W. C. Fields, a renowned drunkard,  memorably intoned, when asked if he wanted a drink of water, “water? fish f*ck in it.”

Chris France