Colour non coordination

They say the darkest hour is just before dawn, (although my old mate Wild Willy Barrett used to claim the darkest hour was just before the next darkest hour) but she was not even in the picture adorning this column yesterday, and anyway I willl not have a word said against her. The photo looked fine when I posted it but when I saw it on the blog itself late morning I realised it was too dark. The wonder of modern technology was required to brighten it up so apologies if you saw the blog and that picture early yesterday…

No such claim to darkness can possibly be leveled at the subject of today’s photo, well certainly not to the photo itself anyway. Of course there is always likely to be some darkness wherever the shadow of this man mountain is cast. It is of course Matt Frost, brother of Stephen, Valbonne’s very own mortgage broker and owner of French Mortgage Xpress in the village. There seems to be some kind of sartorial cry for help going on here. I like the shirt and I like the hat, but combining them?  I have no pretensions to good taste, in fact I have heard it stated that I have absolutely no taste, however, even I would not be as daring as to attempt to combine a brightly coloured Brazilian shirt with a cricket hat when invited out. It is a pity we cannot see what are on his feet, flippers perhaps?. The picture was taken at a recent luncheon at my house before the customary degeneration in standards of behaviour, and clearly before my style guru Mr Humphrey’s had expressed an opinion.

No, no and no.

It cannot now be long before I get the expected call from Marina Kulik to be a model in her popular painting classes held in Plascassier. I have been working on the bulges and wrinkles that her class apparently find very rewarding to paint and am actively looking forward to receiving the 22 Euros an hour that I shall be paid for doing nothing. Doing nothing for money is what I have often been accused of during my career in the music industry and the royalty flow that helps cover my daily expenses, but I put it down to meticulous planning and careful use of the existing mechanisms in place to pay songwriters and recording artist for their work. This must be the reason I am drawn to the idea if getting paid for doing nothing more than making a spectacle of myself like in the above shot. ow there’s a word; shot.

So not a drop of drink passed my lips yesterday, nor today unless something goes horribly right. I have been helping to plan the inaugural Christmas Fair at the offices of Currencies Direct in Sophia Antipolis on 13th December, where I have been asked to come and sign copies of my book. Anyone who has something to sell for Christmas is welcome to exhibit and I shall be revealing details of this must attend event in the next few days. There are several fairs being held locally, I will try to cover them all in the coming days.

Leaving Nice on Friday and flying to Nairobi on Saturday presents an obvious logistical challenge that had not occurred to me; we must find a hotel close to Heathrow on Friday night. It has to be nearby as our flight leaves at 10.00 so we must be there by 8.00. I have never had to stay near Heathrow but somehow I suspect it is not going to be an experience I shall wish to repeat. Any suggestions for hotels nearby gladly accepted.

Chris France