Ski season over shock

I hear some underground rumblings from Peachy Butterfield yesterday (not unusual it itself) about my cutting remarks over the quality of the wine he habitually consumes. The emphasis in his household is on quantity rather than quality. Let me be clear, with most wines drunk by normal people one removes the cork to enable the aroma of the “crushed fruit” as Peachy describes it, to be savoured and enjoyed, but with Peachy’s choice of wine it is important that it is uncorked early in order for the smell to be dispersed some time before intended consumption. Frankly the longer the better.

Sunday in Valbonne in early summer is a splendid place to be. That nice lady decorator loves a car boot sale and with the French equivalent ( a vide grenier) spotted taking place in the village on the way to buy a paper, I thought I could settle into an espresso in Valbonne Square with my Sunday Times in the full knowledge that she would spend a happy hour or so trawling over other people’s rubbish, and thus leaving me in peace.

However, before that she had finally got around to taking off the ski rack from the Hyundai skip, by which I mean her car. The ski resorts have all been closed for months but it seems she had been at the very least rather hopeful of getting some more skiing in this season. I think it was the chortling yesterday at Help For Heroes quiz event about still having the ski rack in place  that persuaded her to come to terms with an end to skiing. By the time this task had been completed, she looked shattered so we settled instead for a bloody mary at home.

skiing anyone?

Talking of that Help For Heroes event, it seems I underestimated the sales of my book, 16 were sold, taking the total to 198, dangerously near to 200 and into the last two boxes of this never to be sought after, limited first edition. Us successful authors must do our bit for charity. In all over 1700 euros were raised on the day, a fantastic result from a garden party.

Today there may be an uplifting plan to have lunch on the beach on the way to the airport to see off Mac The Knife, our visiting token plastic surgeon. I would have said that I did not feel cut out for this after the weekend we have just had but that would have been the kind of cheap joke that I have been determined to slice out of this column. As I write, there is no certainty that the engagement is firm but I live in hope. Can I say I am putting on a brave face about it? or could that be misconstrued by Mac The Knife?

Before the beach though, there is the small matter of doing some work. In addition to my music interests, this requires me to spread the word a little wider about the benefits of Currencies Direct. If all my readers signed up today I would not have to mention their lovely services in every column.

Just a month left in France now before we leaving for the watery drought stricken land of England. At least they are getting all that rain done and dusted (inappropriate use of verb) before we return. There is just not that much rain in the world for the current weather to last until July. Mark my words, it will be sunny and warm in Arundel from mid July until the end of September when I hit England in earnest.

Chris France