Run of the mill

I would not say that yesterday was an easy day, given the events of Saturday. In order to digest not just a brunch, but the events of the day before when That Nice Lady Decorator had conked out and then woken up and gone in search of me, visiting most of the pubs in Arundel. We walked 3 miles along the banks of the River Arun to shake off the effects of the day before to the wonderfully positioned Black Rabbit, where managers Tom and Sam, alerted by Facebook entries, had reserved our favourite table, even though we had no intention of eating. A late brunch put paid to that. A large Bloody Mary eased us back into the real world after a wild Saturday.

It was on the way back that I took this picture of the mill stream in Arundel.

Mill stream in Arundel in sunshine

Due to the shenanigans of that Nice Lady Decorator the day before, we had to spend some time building bridges and repairing relationships. It was necessary to phone the Kings Arms, The Eagle and any other establishment that either of us has visited the day before in order to apologise for any embarrassment, damage and in the case of That Nice Lady Decorator, unpaid bar bills that had been incurred. Much like the Queen, she seldom carries money although she is really exceptional when it comes to spending it.

Whilst settling the bill at the White Hart, where bar manager Terribly Tall Timothy Taylor had refused to serve the Decorating person until her tab was paid, we stayed for a couple of drinks in the garden in more unaccustomed sunshine. There was some talk about another infamous unpaid tab at the pub. It seems that a few doors up the road about two years earlier a chap had hung himself. His mental strife was of no interest to Terribly Tall, but he was incensed by the fact that this chap had come into the pub the evening before and bought a bottle of brandy promising to pay for it the next day. He committed suicide without settling his bill. It is not known whether Terribly Tall made a claim on his estate or not. I think the chap may have changed his mind and been alive today if I could have explained to him the benefits of opening an account with Currencies Direct. I blame myself.

The weather world is getting weird. It has dawned bright and sunny again today in Arundel. Simultaneously I am seeing reports on Facebook that snow is in the forecast for the south of France, how can that be? It was 25 degrees when we were there last weekend. Anyway, I shall be out this morning making the best of it as this summer weather will undoubtedly come to an end shortly. Talking of shortly, I may have to extract some shorts from my suitcase packed ready for the next trip back to France.

More filming is in the schedule for this evening as there are still some small adjustments required to my pieces to camera for the final version of Otway The Movie before it gets a Showing at the Cannes Film Festival. My request for a makeup artist has been curtly declined, obviously on that basis that I look so good already. As a result I have been given a one day reprieve from a diet day, as clearly I shall need some Dutch courage before the filming. I also need to work out how to get a shot in of the Valbonne Monologues. I think it is called product placement.

It seems likely that there will be close to 100 Otway fans travelling down to wreak havoc in Cannes in the third week of May and we shall be amongst them. I simply cannot resist the temptation to see myself again on the big screen. This will be the first showing since the premier at the Odeon in Leicester Square. If any if you chaps want to come to that or the Otway banquet on the beach, have a look at the website or let me know.

Chris France
@Valbonne_News