Style guru in church shock

Meetings yesterday in Valbonne including the signing of a new affiliate for Currencies Direct allowed me the rare opportunity to drop into church, aka Cafe Latin. I had with me several unsold copies of my book “Summer In The Cote d’Azur” which sadly remained unsold despite my best efforts to change their status. Obviously people don’t want to buy Christmas presents too early. I had hoped to encounter Mr Humphrey’s to see if he was free, and he was. I was however rather alarmed to see that my style guru was wearing the same leather jacket as he been wearing on Monday. How can that be? Also, after I had asked if he was saving up for the collar I thought perhaps he might rethink that particular item, but with the misplaced conviction of a man who knows when he looks good, he dismissed my comments with an imperious toss of the head, much in the style of Larry Grayson.

Earlier in the day, that nice lady decorator and I had set off for a walk along The Brague River, but she slipped over and landed in the mud (normally a fleeting concept down here but still much in evidence after last weeks deluge). I suggested that I took a picture of her in her full muddy glory but the laser beam eyes were employed and a total sense of humour failure followed, so I changed the subject and took a picture of the level to where the river had risen to last week, although I think inadvertently I did get a bit of the rear view of that nice lady decorator in by mistake.

On the left edge of this photo is some wood washed up showing the level The Brague reached last weekend, on the right is the more normal level of the river

Our determination to avoid a drink today lasted until about 1pm. After church (where I had to remind at least one BA pilot that we have a flight on BA to Narobi booked for a couple of weeks time, and one would hope for the sake of common decency that he would do his utmost to secure an upgrade) we headed for the supermarket only to discover that it was Remembrance Day and a National Holiday in France, so, it being officially a day of rest, we thought a small lunch would be in order and, as the Auberge St Donat was full of great old characters wearing their medals and we could not get a table, we headed to the Auberge de Provence in Plascassier to enjoy a salad on their sunny terrace, and allow that nice lady decorator time to recover from her fall.

Those gals  amongst my ever-growing readership need to be reminded about the free  Miche bag presentation at the Hotel Mercure in Sophia Antipolis on 15th November. I may go down for a glass of wine….

Next Friday between the hours of 11am and 12, I shall be at the English Book Centre in Valbonne to sign copies of my book. It seems that my contention that an unsigned book will better retain any residual value it may still have is not supported by the facts. I have been disavowed of that opinion as it seems most people want their copies signed. This is just the start. Serialisation in The Sunday Times cannot be far behind.

Having broken the duck so to speak, we decided on early doors at The Queens Legs for a refreshing ale and thereafter adjourned for a glass of wine to Le Pomme Rouge, the new deli opened recently by renowned local caterers Adams and Adams and….but I have run out of space, you must wait for tomorrow.

Chris France