Back to the Fuschia

June in Jeans, and I don’t mean the barmaid at the Oak Inn, back to normal weather. Just as the extended break came to an end so did the unlikely period of summer sunshine. A final walk in the New Forest on the way home confirmed my very favourable impression of the area. It is only just over an hours away from Arundel by car so we shall go again. I particularly liked Lymington, which we had visited on Saturday morning (it had a market and that always gives one member of our household an opportunity for some retail therapy), so I feel a return weekend visit coming on again sometime this year.

New Forest path

Whenever we go away in the car, it is moderately full of dogs baskets, suitcases and, if not staying in hotels, sensible provisions in terms of wine. By the time we return, the car is always crammed full of stuff. This time it was mirrors, pictures, giant dog cushions, Hollyhocks, Delphinium and god knows what else. 2 trips to the car to go away, 6 trips from the car to unload when we get back. This is without the provisions which have had to be consumed to make room for all those purchases.

Anyway, once back and unloaded That Nice Lady Decorator busied herself planting the forest of plants she had acquired. By the time she had finished there was not a jot of earth to be seen, it was almost like an alien landscape, a case perhaps of back to the fuchsia?

All this activity had the effect of building up a thirst, so with The White Hart, the pub next door calling, we answered that call, stopping long enough for lunch. Once again very good Boco Nuevo food in the shape of a seafood platter and a very good paella.

Almost inevitably, as the sun made a fitful return in late afternoon, we stayed longer than we had intended and entered into discussions with various of the locals, including Acker the log man, from whom I ordered some logs. Initially he was pleased until I added “at the beginning of October”. I regaled James, Desperate Dan the Landlord with stories about chips in Cornwall cooked in beef dripping and was told that the health police would be on the lookout for me.

Detailed planning will now commence for summer in Valbonne. What a prospect! We shall be leaving at the end of June for 6 weeks for the French experience, back amongst those ex pats pals, many of whom have not yet taken advantage of buying a copy of my book The Valbonne Monologues, sales of which now stand at a very impressive 107. Originally the break even figure was around 220 sales, but this has been halved as I have been able to avoid paying half the printing bill, as several copies have been discovered printed upside down in the second half. Some wags have suggested that, as no one has ever read it to the end, then it may well be that all copies are similarly faulty. This is a cruel barb. I just think my followers must, by and large, be slow readers and have not yet reached the part where the printing error is evident.

I also recall a discussion but not in which context when one of the locals for the expression “Is the Pope a catholic?” To underline some obscure point or other, but rather mixed it up by saying “Is the Pope a bishop” no, I don’t think so either.

So the world of commerce, music and currency exchange await me in the coming week. Having neglected my duties whilst away over the past nine days, I have a great deal upon which to catch up. Should be all done by midday.

Chris France
@Valbonne_News