Unforgettable bread

It was during a conversation at the pub with builder Johnny “The Builder”Malcomson, who has taken to wearing a battered straw hat to hide the scars on his head sustained when hitting his head on our low beams, that he revealed that one of his brothers lost half a leg in a motor bike accident. It seems his brother still plays golf well, amputees golf, balancing on his one good leg and even still taking the wagers from his two legged mates. He then innocently said that when he won each time he didn’t have a leg to stand on.

So pleased is that nice lady decorator with her new fireplace that she insisted last evening in inviting about 10 people around from the pub to see it. They had a straddle a pile of rubbish and packaging that Banjo, the heinous hound owned not by me but that nice lady decorator, had kindly liberated from the kitchen bin and decorated the floor with his very own interpretation of modern art. Both are rubbish.
It is whilst she was doing her proud showing off bit I had the rubber gloves out and was trying to clear up.

It is John The Builders 50th birthday celebration to which we are invited this evening at the White Hart. I believe the catering will be undertaken by the excellent restaurant team located at the pub, Boco Neuevo, which will be considerably better I expect than the sandwich emporium of which I took a picture in Littlehampton yesterday. Perhaps this is where Clive Panto came to pick up supplies when entertaining us to lunch last Wednesday?

not, surely?

There is half a plan to go walking and lunching today as it is once again astonishingly forecast to be fine. The George and Dragon at Houghton has been mentioned which sounds good, a six mile circular walk less so. Then home to prepare for tonight and pack for the glorious home coming to Valbonne tomorrow.

We fly tomorrow afternoon arriving at about 5pm for a sun downer in the web. It will be so nice to sit outside in shorts again. The arrangements for the Bistro Rally, the annual sailing race from Port de le Rague to Les Iles des Lerins off the coast of Cannes, are well advanced with a crew of 11 or 12 including many of the usual suspects, many Currencies Direct clients; The Wingco, Blind Lemon Milsted, Slash and Burn Thornton Allan, Dancing Greg Harris and of course our captain the Master Mariner Mundell. I say 11 or 12 because at present there seems to be some doubt about the role of one Peachy Butterfield. He wants to be aboard the support vessel, the beautiful 55 foot Sea Breeze owned by Roly and Poly Bufton where he wants to “look after the girls” who are prohibited from being aboard for the race itself, but I think he may be kidnapped and press ganged into joining the exclusively male crew aboard L’Exocet for the race. Please don’t forewarn him because he seldom reads this column.

Of course this could backfire horribly. Firstly, as his T-shirt proclaims; Fat people are harder to kidnap and secondly his enormous bulk will significantly increase the ballast aboard, unless there is some mysterious wind to weight ratio plan being hatched by the Master. All I know for sure is that it will be important to drink the wine aboard as quickly as possible in order to lighten the load. It is the very least a vital crew member can do to help the cause. I expect a win and will be at the bookies across the road this afternoon to see if they will take a bet.

Chris France