Cafe Latin in baptism shock

Lunch at Cafe Latin was enlivened by the Bufties (Lesley and Roly Bufton) revealing under pressure from a slight over consumption of the post prandial bottle of home-made Lemoncello that they had chosen a gay skipper for their new boat. This caused some amusement of a rather homophobic nature and a little too juvenile and tasteless to go into detail here, suffice to say there the subjects of rolling, corkscrewing and making camp rather than port could have been the subjects.

It was a very generous offer from the lovely Lesley that in order to satisfy my accountants requirements that I should spend more time in England than in France that I could stay on the boat when they tour Corsica in the summer. Sadly she did not seem to be aware that Corsica is indeed a part of France. Can she possibly be related to the similarly geographically challenged Lisa Thornton Allan?

Also at lunch was larger than life Rupert Scott on a brief visit to his house in Plascassier which was previously owned by Edith Piaf and in which she died. He told an interesting story about her death. Apparently because of her iconic status as a symbol of all things French, the French Government had her body taken to Paris in an ambulance and announced that she had died in the Capital.

The big painting event organised by Marina Kulik next Monday is building nicely, nearly at capacity such is the interest in painting me. The prize of the best of the paintings being featured on the cover of my next book has proven irresistible. I had thought that the nice lady decorator might have shown some interest as painting must clearly be one of the skills required by a decorator but so far she has resisted the temptation.

Last year I was invited to do some nude modeling for Marina’s group and although I am up for it, at present it has been kicked off-limits by that nice lady decorator. Clearly she wants no one else to gaze upon my naked figure, and who can blame her. I would like to think that it is because of the sheer masculine beauty of my male form, but have a sneaking suspicion that is not the reason for her prohibition. Perhaps she does not share my certainty of its perennial allure to women?

Church this morning again at Cafe Latin will be for first visit to the congregation for some weeks. I took a photograph yesterday of the water feature that adorns the terrace. I wonder if it used to baptise new members of the happy throng of ex pats who come weekly to celebrate the drinking of coffee, the consumption of croissants and the exchange of gossip? It is for the third part of this triumvirate that interests me most. I am particularly keen to hear more of Mr Humphreys (if he is free) recent trip to New York.

the font at Cafe Latin

So what does the weekend hold in store? I will have completed my tasks for Currencies Direct and now that I have the new online application form to open an account I feel I have given enough of myself for this worthy service for one week. There are so far unsubstantiated rumours of lunch on Saturday and there had been no mention of gravel or gardenening so hope I am off the work hook for the time being although it is true that similar hopes have been dashed in the past. For instance I have noticed an insidious growth a grass recently and suspect I may be called upon to deal with it.

Chris France