Drunken sailors?

It looks like there was a massive take up of my suggestion to view Rapper Blind Lemon on Youtube  yesterday. Blind Mr Lemon also said he was happy for the video clip of his published as he was “glad he didn’t drink, all the others looked off their faces”.

So to my second home, Gatwick, for the hop over to Knock in Ireland, closest airport to Galway Bay on the wild west coast.  A 90 minute flight delay extended the time we had to spend in the lounge to more respectable proportions. I think I am alone in enjoying delayed flights. The time was used well, I think I drank back a good portion of my annual subscription. These annual subscriptions for lounges are a bit of a gamble. If you are always on time then they are winning because you have little time in which to get your monies worth, but someone like me who flies a lot, and is just waiting for a long delay must be their worst scenario.

My picture today was another taken on the Bistro Rally last Monday. Paul “Slash and Burn” Thornton Allan was driving the boat at the time, at least he thought he was. What he does not seem to realise is that we were reversing when this was taken. All he needs is a hello sailor hat to complete the illusion that he is in charge, that or a kiss me quick hat. What is that story I heard recently about a gay skipper?

That reminds me, the lovely Marina Kulik had the temerity to suggest in a comment on yesterday’s column, having clearly viewed the Blind Lemon clip, that we were all drunken sailors, and she did not know what to do with us. Sounds like a cue for a song. “What shall we do with the drunken landlubber” does not seem to have the same cachet.

A plan is emerging to delay the launch of my second book, The Valbonne Monologues” until just before Xmas. This is for two reasons, firstly I haven’t finished it yet,  and secondly, when I suggested that a launch next year was on the cards I was met with a chorus of protest from Peachy Butterfield, who has advance orders for a dozen copies at least. “Think how many people’s Christmas’s you won’t be ruining if it’s not published in time” he said. I never did fully understand the impact of a double negative.

It is true that the book could make an ideal present for someone you don’t like, and it would cost not a centime more for me to sign it at the launch, wherever and whenever that might be. I am currently in deep and urgent negotiations with the wonderfully endowed (sorry Lin) Lin from The English Book Centre in Valbonne, my literary commissar, about arrangements, which means I have sent her an email and she has not yet responded.

Eventually in the evening we got to Knock. Knock is a small town in Western Ireland with an airport. That is it, just an airport. We got there just as it was getting dark so were able not to enjoy the wonderful Irish scenery, or rather we had to imagine it. There was rain of course, just to make us feel welcome and we arrived in Galway at about 8pm, cold tired, wet and thirsty. Our hotel is called The Spanish Arch and is about as Spanish as Guinness.

What I have not mentioned yet is that this is a business trip. Ireland being a euro nation does not enjoy the benefits of a stable currency and thus I believe many of the indigenous locals may be looking for a way out. Their best option would be to open an account with Currencies Direct.

One final note; as we sat in the bar and found the restaurant had closed the similarly well endowed Jude O Sullivan said was so hungry she was one drink away from a dirty burger. With that in mind we went next door Mcdonaghs (like MacDonalds only Irish) for chips, curry sauce and a haggis meal.

Chris France