The book launch lunch arrives

Before the great lunch launch today at the Auberge Provencal, I thought it would be good to spend some time with my lead sponsor, Matt Frost from French Mortgage Xpress, an inhabitant of Valbonne and host to several other Frosts including one of my special guests for the launch of my first book “Summer In The Cote d’Azur”, Stephen Frost. From the times I have seen Stephen on TV on “Whose Line Is It Anyway”, “Mr Bean” and “Blackadder”, and after meeting him at Glastonbury, and then meeting his and Matt’s brother Simon the evening before, I quickly formed the impression that a Frost gathering might be a slightly noisy affair. Add to this potentially noisy ensemble the arrival in town of my other special guest and oldest friend John Otway, and I suddenly realised that if I wanted to be sure to be welcomed back to my favourite local restaurants, then avoiding them altogether for such a potentially rowdy Sunday lunch might be quite a good idea.

The decision then to lunch at Caprichio in Chateauneuf was an inspired one. A party of 9 including three large and ebullient Frost brothers was just never going to be a gentile affair and there was the potential to destroy a quiet Sunday lunch for a large number of people in a very short time. As it was, I think we got away with it, just, and the large tip seemed to placate the management and staff who had to wait a full hour after the other diners had left to rid themselves of the exuberant Brits.

So, nicely oiled, we picked our way through the rain ravaged countryside and returned to the pav, where else? to drink copious amounts of wine and plan proceedings for today. At least that was the intention and I am certain that arrangements were made and the details sealed later at The Queens Legs in Valbonne, and if I remember any of them then I am not entirely certain they will aid my fragile confidence in my ever shortening talk today. I took this picture at the post lunch discussions were nearing their peak. You may notice that it appears to be dark, indicating I think the great detail that was discussed and the intensity of that planning process.

John Otway and Stephen Frost plan my downfall in the pav

The massive deluge which seems to have engulfed half of southern Europe has at least abated, but yesterday morning before collecting the chaps from the airport was spent mopping up the river that decided to form through my living room last night. At least it had the common decency to leave as quickly as it arrived, I juts wish it had taken all the leaves etc with it. Thank god for tiled floors, and being married to a nice lady decorator.

Tomorrow it will all be over and from the Wingco’s perspective the unthinkable will have occurred and I will be able to call myself a published author, or better still, a novelist. The fame and fortune that will inevitably follow will in no way impede me from my duties with my other sponsor for the day Currencies Direct, indeed I suspect I have already identified a potential new customer when I discovered that one of my guests has a house in France….

After the furore has dies down tomorrow and life returns to something more normal once guests are safely delivered to the airport, I must prepare for beer, real ale. This will be my fate on Wednesday when once again I must brave bad weather in the UK, but it cannot be as bad as it has been here over the last five days.

Chris France