The big picture arrives

Great news! after torturous negotiations with http://www.lulu.com, who printed my book  “Summer In The Cote d’Azur”, I have secured a special promotional discount for the few of you who have not already purchased a copy. Simply go on the website, order the book and insert LULUBOOKUK305 in the promotional code box and get a 25% discount, but only until 31st January, so hurry whilst stocks last. These will of course be depleted by several if all goes well at The France Show in Earls Court starting Friday where I shall be standing alongside this poster created for my by those chaps down at The Big Picture.

What a splendid poster

There is still a lot of abuse and hostility floating about concerning the recent demise of my splendid beard at that lunch at the end of last year at the Auberge St Donat overrun by public schoolboys . My Auzzie mate Bruce (yes that is his real name, I have not had a caricature him at all) suggests in the comments section that what the beard really needed was just need a bit of bikini wax, rather than the ritual destruction administered by the Master mariner and his coterie of knobs and it is a good point well made, and fundamentally ignored by the public school bullies who have still to be interviewed by the police for this common assault. Actually, I suppose they would argue that it could not possibly be a common assault as they all went to public school, which as mere mortals know is not common at all. Common is where common people live. I myself was born in London between Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common, but I don’t know where I am going with this.

Anyway, after a frenetic mornings work, inevitably concerning Currencies Direct, I had a meeting in the afternoon in Valbonne with Gerald Gomis who is now working with award-winning local estate agents Blue Square who have offices in the old village. He kindly offered to make me a cup of tea, which was somewhat of a departure for the French, and I jokingly asked him if knew how to make it. He assured me that he did and promptly added the teabag to the freshly brewed coffee he was making for himself.

It was a bold effort and to his credit, as soon as he had done it, he put his head in his hands and said “Oh no, this will be in the blog”. I assured him that I would not be this cruel, and promised not to mention it, so please ignore this last sentence, it was just your imagination. Currently he has got off lightly and as long as the confirmation of the full years sponsorship for Blue Square for the South Of France Theatre programme, then this can be an end of it.

A last-minute summons is received last evening to play tennis this morning, and frankly I do not really have the time, what with all the preparations to leave for the France show in London on Thursday morning, but with two affiliates and one target as a customer joining me on the court, it is my duty  to be there.  Normal rules apply, if I win then expect a fulsome report tomorrow. Should I lose, which as far as this column is concerned would be a first, expect no more mention of it. At the very least it will be a final opportunity to enjoy more of this fabulous run of weather that we have enjoyed for the last month, although there is a very real problem in the southern Alps ski resorts, in fact I heard today that Limone just across the Italian border, and an expected venue for some skiing myself next month was closed today.

Chris France