Rock n roll in Mouans Sartoux? no

Despite being in a semi fragile state after the bug that has laid me low for 2 days, I summoned enough energy to go to Fete de la Musique in Mouans Sartoux which happens on June 21st, last night, the longest day each year. This is about as rock and roll the French get, with dozens of bands and groups setting up in the street and playing everything from hard rock, through punk to Jazz. You just wander about and watch what you want. I particularly like listening out for French accents attempting classic songs. Last year for instance I thoroughly enjoyed listening to a peculiarly androgynous French singer attempting “Stairway to Heaven”, which sounded more like “steervay to eaven”. I do hope he or she did not mistake my laughter for praise, but then I find rock ‘n roll funny. Amongst the funniest I have seen in recent years was AC/DC in Nice.

I have been thinking about which song or lyric would be the most funny in French. One that sprang to mind is “I’ve got a brand new combine harvester” by The Wurzels, or maybe “Why Aye Man” by Mark Knopfler. Now they would be funny. As it turned out, I heard neither but I did hear “Fat Bottomed Girls” sung by a rather large French lady who could not see the irony in her choice of lyric, perhaps she did not understand it? Anyway, I took this picture in the Square de la Chateau in Mouans Sartoux which sums up how the French like to enjoy their music. Dinner first, a few glasses of wine, coffee then goggles and crash helmets on, no I am joking, they like to hear some music over dinner then go home. Not one pair of beer goggles or a crash helmet to be seen.

Typically French Mouans Sartoux tries to do rock and roll. It is a valiant attempt but it's not Glastonbury is it?

So today, it happens. Yes I must leave my beloved France for a couple of days whilst I return to purgatory (just outside Slough), well actually Kensington darlings, where my daughter is going to college in September. In my day you could not get into Kensington without a passport and a letter from your pater or house master, now it seems even the daughters of oiks like me can get in, as long as they are willing to pay. Actually willing is too strong a word, probably “trapped” would be a better description. Anyway, such is my lot that I must attend an open evening at Ashbourne College just to find out what the money is being spent on. This whole nobby school thing is a bit alien to me, in fact I was with arch academic Bill Colegrave at our barbecue at the weekend, and he asked me what house I was in. I think he was referring to Eton and was a bit confused when I said “Council”.

This means that for 2 whole days I will be unable to promote the services of Currencies Direct, but I do hope you will not be bereft, I will be back to full promotional speed by Friday.

Tony “I invented the internet” Coombs called today to say that he thought he had left his sunglasses behind on Sunday, He actually left behind a great deal more, but managed to take at least 4 bottles of wine away with him,albeit he had to drink them first. I asked them which model they were. It is always crass to be found wearing someone else’s sunglasses, but as coincidence would have it, the model of his sunglasses was exactly the same as mine, brown Aviators. What bad luck for him, as there was, and will be, no sign of them.

Chris France