One sprog gone, one to go

Some comments about the mating tortoise picture I featured recently indicate that some people thought the lady tortoise was looking slightly disinterested, but they did not seem to know that she was on top.  I agree that both look slightly unimpressed and it would seem one could get more expression from a blow up doll, which brings me to a point Peter Lynn made recently; If you buy a muslim inflatable does it blow itself up?

The airport run was successfully completed to ensure one of the sprogs is on her way to London. One down and one to go, the other little blighter leaves on Saturday, praise the lord. Now I may get to drink some of the beers that I keep buying. Sprog 1 was accompanied by that nice lady decorator who can never resist a bit of retail therapy, and I for one am delighted that she had some company otherwise I may have been forced to suffer shopping in the west end.

Out for a stiff walk in the Valmasque forest to throw off recent excesses, I cam across a clearing with some crocus like plants that have sprung up over the past few days. It seem that it might be saffron? In which case I shall designate a job to that nice lady decorator upon her return of collecting some to put in her cooking. The lord knows it needs something.

Could be saffron? if not then pretty flowers....

I read with amusement in the Sunday Times about Jeremy Clarkson, the co-presenter of the BBC’s most successful programme export giving his voice over for a sat nav system. Can you imagine some of the commands?; “do a hand brake turn now”, “are you mad? you have gone the wrong way”, “I said left you retard”. What would be even more amusing would be if there was a Mexican version, after the Mexican ambassador complained about his description that all Mexicans are lazy and fat.

I am getting closer to the on-line publication of my book “Summer in the Cote D’Azur”. It has been sub-edited by the beautiful Dawn Howard after the original proof reading volunteer, the significantly less beautiful Peter Lynn, unremarkably became bored by the whole process and couldn’t finish it. I know how he feels, I have now had to read it 4 times!, but if I hadn’t read it already then I would be, like most of my daily readers I am sure, gagging to get a copy. If you buy it in enough quantities then I promise to give up plugging Currencies Direct every day. all I need now is to buy a Kindle or an Ipad.

But even literary success will not stop my work with Medina Palms because that is a labour of love, much like my work with John Otway, and I think it will be good for me to try to keep my feet on the ground in the midst of the media madness I feel sure is about to engulf me. This will be further enhanced when I am able to get paperback versions, because that will trigger the promised book launch courtesy of the Valbonne Book Centre, run by the voluptuous (she will just love this description) Lin Wolff. Lin you promised, so there is no backing out now.

Talking of John Otway, for about a year I have been searching for a local venue to put him on with is big band which astonishingly has been together for 15 years, and so last night I went over to the pub at St Phillipe in Sophia Antipolis, in the new development beside the Provencal Golf Course to see if it might be big enough, but alas no. Any suggestions welcomed.

Chris France