Salty Women?

Lunch in Valbonne Square in the sunshine. For you locals just consider that statement for a moment, are we not as close to heaven as one who does not believe in such a place can get? Even the Reverend Jeff who does believe has never been exalted to the heights of having lunch in Valbonne Square, and certainly not courtesy of Currencies Direct. This is a clear piece of evidence that going to church and living life according to the dictates of the Lord (Voldermart?) does not always pay dividends. I am certain that lunching in Basingstoke yesterday where the Reverend resides was not as pleasant lunching in Valbonne Square.

I love all things French. The French word for school is ecole, easily mistaken one may think for the word for alcohol, which with typical french cunning is exactly the same word in the local dialect. I accept that when one has a carefully cultivated  plummy accent they may sound the same, and therein lies the problem. One of our friends who shall remain nameless, but arguments sake we will call Lisa Thornton Allan was on her way home from Mougins school with some of her children yesterday afternoon. She was intercepted by the police at Brittains roundabout just outside Valbonne  and asked if she had taken any alcohol, but she thought that she was asked if she had come from school. “Yes, I have” she said and was promptly breathalised.

Technically, as she had not had a drink (an allegedly rare occurrence by 4pm) this could have been construed as  a waste of police time. A discussion developed about our various experiences when the meaning of words had been confused or misunderstood. It seems that predictive text can throw up all sorts of horrors, especially when one is pressed for time or in my case cannot find one’s reading glasses. For example recently some embarrassment was caused by a texted order for two portions of homous which became a request for two homosexuals. Any non salad dodger ordering homous deserves such an unfortunate result.

Because of more stormy weather predicted (what could that be by predictive text, salty women?) for later in the week when we had planned to go to the Antibes Yacht Show, there is half a plan to go instead today. My picture for today  shows the last time I was in Antibes harbour just as we were leaving on the naked politicians boat D5 to head to St Tropez for lunch last autumn.

Edging out of Antibes harbour aboard D5

Storms are not unusual in April which, along with October is statistically the wettest month of the year on the Cote d’Azur and are cursed by the crews of the 150 or so yachts on sale as it means they have to clean the boats from top to bottom after the rain has stopped after each storm, but it could be worse, what would happen to your I-cloud in a storm?

Talking of I-clouds, the Apple on-line storage facility which is one of the features that has helped the I-Phone to outstrip the common Blackberry hand-held device as the smart phone of choice may soon have another convert. I have been a stanch Blackberry fan for many years but the fact is that they have been left behind by the I-phone and even I now am considering becoming a “Jobs” worth, in deference to the Big Apple saint himself Steve Jobs. When back in the UK shortly looking at houses to buy (one of which is sandwiched between an undertakers and a pub, just to give you a reminder of what you are doing to yourself when you go for a drink) I may make that switch.

Chris France