Ikea Meatballs, tapas in La Lavandou
Well, it happened, Mick or Keef could not get through to me so I decided not to attend the secret Rolling Stones gig in Cannes (if it happened!) thus, I was pitched into the prospect of hell, which of course was that I had to go to Ikea. The current Mrs France bought enough stuff to fill a pantechnican and then tried to stuff it in the 4 x 4 with predictable results, but we did find enough space for their meatballs which Mark Gurdon swears by. I had to ring him in store because there were 2 types, but he was no help so I bought both. My reward for sitting in the Ikea cafe for about 3 days, well it seemed like it, was lunch somewhere on the coast., which was a special treat is that I wasn’t paying for once! We stopped at La Lavandou on the about 15 miles west of St Tropez where I visited my favourite fish shop which is my picture today. Frankly I love fish fingers and this shop …no I can’t say that.
Fishy shop in la Lavandou
After some nice tapas (very french!) we decided to head towards St Tropez for a late afternoon beer, but the traffic was already building so headed home for early evening drinks with the Thornton Allan’s. Lisa tells me that she is determined to stay out of this blog, but later after a few bottles of “gris” tells me of her exploits over the weekend at the Grand Prix in Monaco where they watched the race from the Ocean Lounge as guests of a friend who picked up the drinks tab of a mere 85,000 euros!! – I wonder if he left a tip? I need some friends like that. Lisa was also imprudent enough to allude to her making a slight faux pas by sitting on her food whilst wearing a suede dress, which in my eyes could have had no effect on her beauty or bearing and being so drunk she needed to go home at 10pm, after a mere 10 hours partying, lightweight!
I agree to play golf on Sunday with the Landlubbers at the Grande Bastide, where I expect to encounter Maria who has been deathly quiet since the publication of that “pecker” picture a week or so ago.
Plans are finalised for tomorrow night in Nice, the Friend In France reception at Waynes bar, followed by an indian at the Delhi Belhi in Nice and then it will all get a bit hazy and spontaneous (which is code for I dont know what will happen and probabaly wont remember!) and a bed in the sea view room at the excellent Beau Rivage, Nothing from Mr North after my comments yesterday, I trust he is being attempting to remain silent in the hope that I will assume that he knows I have the better of him, and very wise too.
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Living France, Le Blog http://livinginfrance.mon-coach-langues.com
New Car? but which one
I need to change my wife’s car this summer when back in the UK. As I still have a house back there, I can keep my UK registration which is very useful when one encounters speed cameras, parking tickets or any offence that gives rise to points on your license. It was my tacky friend Paul North who first extolled the virtues of the Hyundai Santa Fee, his love was for the “paki gold” version, which he felt looked good on his drive. Another stunning endorsement of his style and taste was its adornment with various pieces of Arsenal paraphernalia, which I agree, sat well with the range of fridge magnets that he sells to earn him a living, but when I say I agree it looks good, it was with that smirk of merriment that comes when you are laughing at someone rather than with them. The old butcher in him will never die, if he had a Bentley it would probably butcher that by having a nodding dog, an arsenal key ring and fluffy dice! When he was a butcher, I wonder if he was the one that backed into the grinder and got a bit behind in his work? (thanks Pete!)
So we have to take the car back to the UK in July, and I have just booked the channel tunnel which was very reasonable at 81 euros, until you add the cost of the 2 dogs at 46 euros each! that means that transporting the 2 dogs is more expensive than the car itself and 2 adults!! Michael O Leary would be proud of them! Regular followers will be well aware of my antipathy for the “council house” dog “Banjo” that my wife has befriended, so whereas 46 euros seems a perfectly reasonable fee to pay for Max, the proper dog, it seems an outrageous expense for the black and white sh*t as he is known in my little world.
To Ikea in Toulon this morning, unless an invitation to see The Stones is forthcoming but frankly I am filled with dread. Mick or Keef, if ever I needed you to call it is now! otherwise I shall be consigned to spend 3 hours in the Ikea cafe whilst my fellow life traveller spends as much as possible on as much as we can fit in to said Hyundai.
A banana palm has suddenly shot up in my garden as my picture shows. Any resemblance to a fake banana palm that I bought at the vide grenier in Valbonne on Sunday is just a staggering coincidence
Banana palm, real, honest!
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Living France, Le Blog http://livinginfrance.mon-coach-langues.com
Rolling Stones? Cannes Film Festival?
I am not usually regarded as a practical man, I do not have any tools, they are only allowed to be owned by my wife, who is very practical. Painting, decorating, plastering, stonework, floor laying, you name it, I can delegate it. However there are some areas where she demands that I involve myself, usually after I have done something really stupid, and so, today I will be required to do some fibre glass repairs to the luggage rack on Bluebell our ancient VW camper Van. It all stems back to last year when I decided at short notice to remove the luggage rack. To do this swiftly and efficiently I drove into the parking in Valbonne with the luggage rack firmly attached. Firmly that is until it encountered the height restriction bridge….Personally, I liked her (Bluebell) better without it but the current Mrs France disagreed rather vehemently! Hence exploration of fibre glass adventures . I shall report back on the success or probably otherwise of this venture.
The Cannes film festival is still in full effect and I hear a rumour that tomorrow there is the possibility of be some kind of celebration of the making of Exile On Main St, the seminal Rolling Stones album, which was recorded on the Cote D Azur. At this very moment I have set me ferret on it. Wayne Brown at fr2day will find out about it, and if the rumour is to be believed, The Stones may play a surprise gig somewhere in Cannes., check this space tomorrow for latest news!
The Red Radish supper club event this Friday looks quite interesting for other reasons than the food which we all know will be fab. The event is being filmed for one of the programme in the series of Wild Camping, a programme about camping trips, with the subject of the show (whose name escapes me!) on her Triumph Bonneville heading from the Mercantour Hills to Cannes. She is camping on a shoestring and wants to be invited to a Film Festival party, and the Red Radish supper club event has been chosen, so I must talk to my agent about securing a fee for my appearance. First of course, I must secure an agent, if I am not able to then I fear my fee will be limited to wine and food.
My picture today is somewhat of a departure. I was driving to Monte Carlo recently when I came (sic) across this rather startling advertisement on one of the tunnels into the Principality.
Entering a tunnel on the way to Monaco
There are so many crude comments that could be made about this, but as regular readers will know, I would never lower myself to say something like “is there a limit to the number of times one can go back and forth in this tunnel?”
On a final (!) note, may I say that I was not really a fan of 20 20 cricket until yesterday when our boys gave those Auzzies a real hiding to become world champions! Roll on the Ashes series, starting in Brisbane in November.. I will be there….
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Living France, Le Blog http://livinginfrance.mon-coach-langues.com/post/2010/04/13/Health-care-in-France
Film Premiere, Meatballs, Bubble & Squeak
Last night in Cannes with the Warners Paul & Claire, Paul tells me that as a BA 777 captain he has worked out that if he works part-time instead of full-time then he will be only 2% worse off because of the 50% tax in UK, ludicrous! Also in attendance are Wayne from FR2DAY and Lucy from red-radish. Lucy tells me that she will stage short notice beach parties in the summer, what a great idea! My plans for dinner in Le Suquet (quite right Pete, that is the correct spelling!) are in ruins and I settle for meatballs and bubble and squeak at home before setting out as we are invited by Wayne to an exclusive screening at The Cannes Film Festival of “A Proper Violence”, a psychological thriller, which as its poor use of English implies, is an American production. Despite a confusing start the film is gripping and will be a success if they listen to my well thought out and concise editing suggestions and we celebrate afterwards with the producer, director, writers and the cast at various bars until the younger element (which frankly means everyone but me!) plump for the kind of club that I detest! with thumping house music destroying any chance of meaningful conversation, and despite some interesting eye candy, we head for the chauffeur at a little after 3 am. However en route we are overtaken by the munchies and devour a hotdog each, there being no kebab option, before heading for home I use the old line “is it true that if you don’t pay your exorcist you may get repossessed?” which Peter Lynn sent me some weeks ago, but he is way in England so I can get away with suggesting that it is original.
A recovery day in prospect, a walk around the vide grenier in Valbonne to find a few more plastic plants, find the correct position for my banana palm, breeze through the Sunday Times, set up the barbeque and then as soon as the sun is over the yardarm a bloody mary to re-establish stability and lucidity. Then afterwards, to enjoy a refreshing glass of rose to set up Sunday afternoon on the loungers by the pool. It’s a tough life, down here, but I guess someone has to do it..
A busy week ahead, Cannes again in Tuesday for an event celebrating the Stones “Exile On Main Street”, Thursday to Nice for the friend in france reception, Deli Beli and a night at the Beau Rivage on the seafront to celebrate the current Mrs Frances birthday. Later in the week we will attend the red radish supper club event which is being featured in a TV series based, as far as I can tell, about a hitch-hiker on her way to Cannes. Doubtless all will be revealed this coming Friday. My picture today is of rock roses which are late this year, taken in the Valmasque forest this morning.
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Cannes Film Festival, Monte Carlo Grand Prix
A quiet weekend ahead, just some film festival going on in Cannes and some boy racers over in Monte Carlo for a Grand Prix. Unaccountably these events attract numerous celebrities to the area to see and be seen, and so this evening, as a budding celebrity myself, it is my duty to go into Cannes and join in this parade of the great and good. At least I should dine well, there are any number of lovely and good restaurants in Le Suchet, which is the old town in Cannes just behind the harbour and doubtless that is where I shall be found this evening. Apparently a chauffeur is booked and we are to be joined by dear friends BA pilot Paul Warner and his beautiful petite minx of a wife Claire. I wonder if this evening she will remain fully clothed? If she does then it may well be a first! Perhaps she suffers from heat retention after a few drinks and feels the need to throw off the shackles of clothing? I could perhaps understand that, but have yet to formulate any explanation for her habit of performing headstands late in the evening…often after she has divested herself of said clothing…. In the meantime I plan to spend today working on my tan and my autobiography, but as with many of the best laid plans, there is the possibility that these will be swept away by the wife as I may be called on to mix cement for whatever monument she is constructing today.
The subject of my picture today is in the best green grocers I have ever known, in Valbonne, but at a price! Situated between the parking and the old town, quite close to Cafe Latin called Dumanois Primeur, I have even seen truffles for sale at a mere 1080 euros a kilo. One aspect of French fruit and vegetable shopping which I have noticed differs somewhat from when I was in UK last is that very little produce is pre packed here, thus you can choose your individual avocado or courgette, or indeed your truffle, whereas most produce in the UK seems to be pre-packed, and in the case of supermarkets, doubtless irradiated to make it last. The downside to that freshness here however is that nothing lasts long, it needs to be consumed within a day or 2 if purchase, hence the reason the French tend to go to the markets every day.
fresh fruit from the best greengrocer in Valbonne
I have given my much revered silver golf shoes a rest this weekend, the long range forecast on Tuesday when the decision was made was for some cloud on Sunday, and although that has since changed and the prediction is for sun, I am still nervous that it will be wrong, so back in the fray next week, by which time Maria will hopefully have forgotten about “that” picture…
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Moving To France? If Not Why Not?
And so to church this morning. Cafe Latin in Valbonne is the venue for the Friday worship of all things social, but I also have important currencies business with John Taylor, Riviera Realty and Savills, three excellent Valbonne estate agencies who have wisely affiliated to Currencies Direct. Today the cafe is full of BA pilots. Mike Allen and Dave Rogers whom I had never previously met, having presumably having parked their 777 or 747’s somewhere nearby, are taking in the sunshine and enjoying a flying visit (!!)to Valbonne. Mike tells me there are over 50 BA pilots living in the area! Wisely both Mike and Dave take brochures and promise to use the Currencies Direct service, Mr Humphreys (who with his fragrant wife Helen is always in attendance – him having eschewed gainful employment) warns them that failure to sign up risks opprobrium in this column , which reminds me that he himself has yet to sign up. He takes me to task about my piece in an earlier episode in which I suggest that he is receding . He tells me he is not, but perhaps he has had his ears lowered?, or has grown a bigger forehead? (Neil, sign up and the pressure will be off!). I meet and talk again to the delicious Bridget Hole who invites me to play croquet on Sunday, how nice!
Yesterday did not go according to plan, the 6 different Roses remained in the fridge as the realisation that it was a public holiday took hold and lunch on the beach became the favoured option. The usual venues are Cannes or Juan Les Pins, and so it was we found ourselves at Le Petite Plage in Juan for lunch. My picture shows exactly why it is called thus, there can be more than 2 metres from table to sea! Konstantine at AFA International will recognise this venue as our “office” to discuss important real estate options in the Riviera.
Wife searching for most expensive item on the menu
Gambas Grille en sauce sate following some excellent white bait whilst the current Mrs France settled on swordfish steak, washed down with the house rose (which I must add to our list of possibles for the season – see yesterday). Many more people are now discovering this daily insight into the life of the idle rich in Valbonne and may be unaware that one can backtrack and read earlier episodes by scrolling down the pages below where you will find a button marked Older Entries. This does not refer to previous amorous conquests, (as one friend who shall remain nameless but for argument’s sake I will call him Tom Baldock believes – he who claims he is Scottish by penetration) but allows one the chance to revisit or discover for the first time the full story of the last 6 weeks or so since this blog was born.
I hear from my diminutive South African friend Dilip Soni who is most upset not to be featured in this blog. He and I have a long-standing golfing skirmish for a trophy called Tracy. It is called Tracy because once in the excitement of winning as I usually do against Mr Soni, I called my wife to tell her the good news that I was bring the trophy home, but the line was poor and eventually she shouted “Who the f**k is Tracy”” so the trophy is now called Tracy. He tells me that he is the current holder of Tracy, but it appears to be in my possession so I think he must be mistaken!
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
The Irish/French Connection
I hear from old friend John Cotter who despite being Irish is clear, concise and organised, except for his golf, which is exactly the opposite. He sends me pictures of the storm that hit Nice whilst I was sunning myself in UK, I show one here.
A slight ripple in the otherwise calm Mediterranean at Nice
Talking of Irish, I bump into, almost literally, John O’Sullivan when taking Bluebell for a spin. He is going in the opposite direction as I am trying to turn left across him. I have my hand out as the indicators have refused to work again today (John, need another beer??) He thinks I wants to chat which I do, but rather inconveniently I have around 20 cars behind me, so cannot. He was clearly heading in the direction of the tabac, so perhaps he was on his way to replenish my cigar stock? I live in hope, or maybe its a fool’s paradise. Actually my old friend John Otway has a song about a fire with a reference to having 200 cigarettes “and they’re all smoking at once”. Sometimes I feel that when my cigar humidor is open it suffers much the same speedy depletion, especially when Mr O Sullivan is in the vicinity! And talking of smoking, I am reminded of the time when I was asked by a lawyer to stand as character witness for one of the artists signed to my label Music Of life, Asher D. An amiable Jamaican, he had holidayed in Kingston, Jamaica and was unfortunately apprehended at Heathrow carry some ganja. I dutifully attended the court and stood witness to his career possibilities and expressed the opinion that as marijuana is part of the Caribbean culture, that I was certain that whatever he had with him was for his personal use, “but 4.5kilos Mr France?” asked the judge – result 18 months in prison and career on hold!
Another holiday here today, but when ones whole life is a holiday it makes little difference. Thankfully it is illegal in France to operate machinery on public holidays and Sundays so the cement mixer will lay eerily silent and the mower will remain in the garage much to my delight!
As it is becoming warmer each day, I suspect I will be required to help undertaking that annual ritual of trying to decide which Provencal rose should be the one chosen to see us through the summer. It involves buying bottles of 6 different rose’s, lighting the barbeque and then trying them. I feel today is likely to be the occasion. I find that despite my best endeavours, making notes is useless as after the third bottle I am unable the next day to decipher what is written, thus negating the whole exercise, but tradition dictates that we try.
Returning to the subject of the Irish, I hear that one of my golfing pals Cliff Marwood has unaccountably moved back to Ireland, he emails everyone his new address and asks anyone who did not get the email to let him know… the Irish part of me cannot resist replying that I did not receive it..
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
The Third World Strikes back
I receive the usual intemperate, overblown and xenophobic comment on the latest truth that is this blog, from regular protagonist (no Paul it has nothing to do with proctologists, those chaps with their fingers on the pulse, or somewhere else) Paul North. His deep love of all those fine English traditions such as HP sauce and losing, (unless Arsenal’s 3rd place in the Premiership can be considered a win?) is charming, however his spelling and punctuation? Clearly Paul thinks punctuation is something you need to do when your tyre is flat! He accuses me of avoiding playing him at golf on my brief visit to the UK but when I am working, I work at such an intensity I do 3 months work in a week, whilst he continues to claim a girls handicap, what incentive do I have? He has World Cup tickets, whilst at the same time looking down his nose at the third world, but exactly what part of the UK is South Africa?, not sure he will get his staple diet of jellied eels, chips, lager and HP sauce down there! Finally he makes mention of the YMCA, I think we can draw our own conclusions, but the golfing expression a “Rock Hudson” may point you in the right direction….looked straight but wasn’t.
The career and lifestyle exhibition will be staged at the Pres des Arts in Valbonne on 29 and 30 May. I will be there signing hard copies if this blog, but more importantly giving wider coverage of the better exchange rates one can get from Currencies Direct than from ones bank. many other local luminaries will be in attendance, including FR2DAY, and Lucy from Red – Radish will be running the cafe, and let me tell you her home-made cup cakes are awesome! check the website for full details. Earlier the same week on the 27th May sees the Riviera Business Clubs first speed dating event with our Swedish counterparts. I considered this move by the BRC to be very far-sighted and had made some very elaborate plans before discovering that it will be for business purposes only. I had naively expected there to be any number of swedish masseur types offering happy endings, but alas my dates appear to be with the likes of Bjorn and Victor rather than the Ingrid and Marianne I had hoped for.
My picture today shows the market at nearby Mouans Sartoux, where you can sometimes buy things from the same traders at Valbonne market for 75% of the price they charge in Valbonne!
The market at Mouans Sartoux is on Tuesdays and Thursdays
I hear from Steve Weston, he of the REGS Golf and the bad taste shirt, he suggests that my comments in this column may have made me some enemies and that I should be frightened to go out alone, but I tell him that I am not afraid as I have any number of disguises, indeed I have recently been mistaken for Neil Humpreys and Peter Lynn, but not at the same time!
Many of you follow this blog on Facebook, but those sad souls amongst us who wish to get this daily valuable guide to living in Valbonne can access it via www.valbonnenews.com then you don’t have to search for insightful guide, which has been described as aiming low and achieving its targets, harsh but fair..
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
Bluebell Gives No Indication
Bluebell the camper van is due for her controle technique, the french equivalent of an MOT, in France it is required every 2 years, but the indicators have refused to work for some weeks. I was contemplating taking her to the VW expert in Vallauris, however John Balodis at valbonneonline tells me in an unguarded moment that he used to have a VW Beetle and loved tinkering with it, well, with bribery in the form of a couple of beers at sundown, the job is done, Bluebell’s indicators are fixed and she even started on the key to show her appreciation.
The wife is hard at work creating more sitting areas and paths through the garden, (as my picture shows) which sadly means someone has to fetch sand, mix cement and ferry stones from different parts of the garden. That of course means me, so I have had to invent some urgent work today to ensure I don’t once again get ensnared in manual labour. Whilst on the subject of manual labour, one of the several dozen (or so it seems) of young Thornton Allan’s who, as part of my child exploitation scheme, is required to mow my lawn is once again absent so I am faced with the horror of having to do it myself, unless I can press-gang some other unfortunate 12-year-old into helping out an old man.
Labourer making some improvements to my garden. Is she going to be sick in that bucket?
An invitation to Friends In France who provide an excellent accomodation, party planning and bespoke touring and entertainment service reception in Nice next to Waynes bar is the spur for the start of the planning for a bigger night out. The excuse, is the wife’s birthday, so Waynes bar, Delhi Belli, and Akhatour for some live music later beckons, sadly though, this is not until 20th May, so perhaps a period of sobriety and reflection might be in order until then? but on the other hand, the sun is out, the beer is in the fridge, the rose is on ice and I’m thirsty! It may be that my sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others, after all, I started out with nothing and have most of it left.
To Cafe Latin this morning for a meeting to discuss my most important work of saving people money on foreign transfers then another to discuss the excellent portable modular exhibition system invented by Paul Thornton Allen from Creative Village which has wisely been taken on by Currencies Direct. Such are the wheels of commerce, Valbonne style. At one stage I thought I wanted a career, then I realised that I just wanted to get paid. I once heard my dear departed mother tell her neighbour that one day she hoped I would get a proper job, despite our buying her a house and car and putting her on the payroll!
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Modular portable exhibition system? http://www.creative-village.co.uk/web_ads/bigger_picture.html
More Golfing Expressions
My dear friend Mark Gurdon sends me some new golf expressions, or at least some I have not heard. A Rock Hudson for instance is a putt that looked straight but isn’t and a “Ryanair”, which flies well but lands a long way from the target! Many of Dave the fades shots will in future be known as Jean Marie Le Pen, flying as they so often do, a long way to the right! Does that mean that Paul North’s attempts will in future be known as a Nick Griffin?
French driving is something that I have not covered here in the past, but it is something to behold. 10 years or more ago, driving in France was akin to a lottery, the secret was not to be on the same stretch of road as a Frenchman if you could possible help it, particularly in the early afternoon after lunch had taken its toll, but in the last few years I have discerned an improvement, except when they tailgate you, but the single most irritating thing is the little dinks you get wherever you park. I would suggest there is not a car on the road in France that hasn’t got a little dent somewhere, indeed it is a daily occurence, and one of the main reasons to trade down from a Bentley to a Mercedes. At the moment I am sporting 5 “dinks”. My old friend Jeff Potter reminds me of when I was younger how I would never walk anywhere and when I bought my first Rolls Royce I would only ever go to pubs where I could be seen getting out. This is of course scandalous libel, I only went to pubs where the car park was full and I could park badly and await the call, “anyone got a Rolls Royce?” It was John Otway who had the first Bentley amongst us, after his first flush of fame in 1978, but this was a bit of an extravagance as he could not and still cannot drive. He was so uncoordinated as to be dangerous, he once had a motorbike and fell off on the way from Aylesbury to Luton 9 times on the same trip! but my favourite motoring story is when the afore-mentioned Mr Potter had spent 6 months carefully restoring a pink lambretta scooter, Otway decided to show him how to do a wheely and promptly totalled it! Not sure that is in the new John Otway book!
A severe thunderstorm overnight deposits a good six inches ( I wonder if Maria’s ears pricked up?) on my garden and consequently The Brague is in full flow as my picture today fails to suggest.
The Brague in flood mode - honest!
chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
John Otway’s New Book? www.johnotway.com
Blog Blindness
Dear readers, this is Sundays blog, it seems according to some Thursdays did not post, and some were bereft, however the mechanics behind publication say it was posted albeit 12 hours early, so I am confused! anyway onwards towards the news. Les Temps Des Mets has opened! Last night on the way back from Frances Supper club event we spotted that the restaurant which is only 200 yards away from my house is open? Formerly Adeles, then Alude it has reopened under its new moniker, so we judged it important to get an early look, so the plan was after an aperitif and Les Font Du Vins in Valbonne, otherwise known as the wine bar with now non-ponytailed owner Pierre, we would pay a visit, but an early evening shower changes our plans and we end up for dinner at Les Pierres Rouges, one of my favourite restaurants, indeed I have reviewed it for FR2DAY. The navarin of lamb in sauce madras was exquisite, except for the almost total absence of madras! The french don’t really understand curry, but as I had my fill of Indian delight last week whilst in the UK, I was less concerned about the lack of spiciness.
A vide grenier (attic sale) today in Valbonne is the kind of event where I would like to take all the clutter that my wife insists on cramming into our house, whilst she likes to go and collect other items of clutter to fill in the only bits of living space we have left, however, a triumph as I by a fake banana palm and the wife finds no new clutter to take her fancy. Talking of taking her fancy, my enquiries into Sir Bernard continue. Apparently he has a host of tall stories although some have a grain of ruth. I will have to attend the next supper club to continue my quest for truth.
My decision not to play golf today is vindicated as there are some clouds around. Some may consider that I do not want to face Maria after the “pecker” picture from a week or so ago, but nothing could be further from the truth. It will just be a sad coincidence that I am not able to play whenever she is!
The morning constututional along the Brague
The coming week’s diary looks quieter than recently, with no social engagements set for the next week, however it strains credulity to assume that no spontaneous eating and drinking will occur in the days ahead, what with the Film Festival in Cannes about to start, but perhaps a period of relative calm would be advisable (but perhaps a tad boring?) before the onslaught of the Savins, Peter And Janey our house guests in the first week of June. I wonder if during their stay as happened on at least one previous occasion, that we were able to spell out their surname using empty bottles of rose consumed during their stay? Peter is so determined to lose to me at golf again that they have contingency plans to drive down from the UK should the Icelandic volcano threaten their flights!
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
The joys of eating in France
Brisk walk along the Brague to throw off effects of lunch and dinner
I miss “church” at Cafe Latin to play a very enjoyable game of tennis, despite having to partner Mark Gurdon against the wingco. I imagine that I shall burn in the hell of not knowing the latest gossip, but tennis it was. 118 senior was trying out a new french partner in the form of Jaques, a charming local who Mr Gurdon kept referring to as Kermit, as he spoke little english and were thus forced to speak (and joke) in french. I know that I was at the top of my game as usual but that my new partner was very rusty and I was let down badly by his continual problem with mid court volleys (Dave Worth will sympathise and know what I mean!). I do not recall the result but it was very close. I am paid what I originally mistake for compliments for my new fuller beard, but it transpires that the only reason mssrs Gurdon and Spensley consider it an improvement is because it hides more of my face!
More calls for accurate reporting of events has been called for from several quarters at lunch at the Auberge St Donat, but as I have pointed out before, balance and accuracy are 2 attributes you will seldom see in this blog, it is frankly an opinionated statement of facts as I see them through my rose-tinted glasses. A splendid lunch, a nice dourade salad to start, followed by chicken livers and mushrooms, then something else (by the third course I am often a little hazy from an early Leffe and the very acceptable house rouge), but I can remember the tarte framboise and ice cream….
A short siesta then I must stir my old bones for the next social occasion which again involves eating. It is my first visit to Frances Thompsons’ excellent supper club, where she has produced an outstanding Japanese menu (which I will attach here if I find out how!) beautifully prepared savory custard amuse bouche, delicious dumplings, yakatori chicken, an immense and varied plate of noodles, and finished off with green tea ice cream, outstanding! Amongst the guests is a wonderfully roguish upper class chappie with a great sense of humour who found my wife particularly attractive! He claimed to be a Knight Of The Realm, and so I called him Sir Bernard, but as the evening went on the claims became more and more outlandish or more and more impressive depending upon whether one chose to believe him. I did not believe him, but my wife did!! I now have my spies investigating and will report back in future blogs
Peter Lynn suggests a headline which I should have used yesterday “A Genital Erection” but I decide not to use it, but to save it for later in the year when the (well) hung parliament gently deflates..
Chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
Living In France, again
My humblest apologies to folowers of this blog, this was Thursday post which for some reason did not publish! so today you get a double dose!
Neil Humphreys weekend starts on a Thursday – official. He is invited to play tennis on a Friday but declines because he is not available at the weekend! One wonders when his week starts? Wednesday? Clearly when he works (which as previously discussed is not often) he must work at the same intensity as I do, enabling a weeks worth of work to be completed in a few hours!
Home sweet home, after 3 hours of delays due to volcanoes, I hear from Dave the fade about golf this weekend. He refers to my blog requesting “balance” in future reporting. I point out that there has been no balance so far, and I do not intend there to ever to be! “Church” this morning at Cafe Latin beckons, if I have time before tennis. It is an informal meeting of local luminaries and media types to drink coffee and eat croissants in the sunshine. It is normally a source of much material for this blog, but I have noticed people have become a lot more circumspect (no Paul, that doesn’t mean jewish) when speaking to me recently and have no idea why that can be. Tennis will take place today before the inevitable lunch at Auberge St Donat after the morning worship. I eschew an invitation to the wingco’s to watch the election last night, frankly a week back in the old country drinking, working and socialising has left me a little jaded and has been quite enough, and I have no wish to see more of it until the summer when I intend to walk one of the nicest parts, the North Devon Coastal Path. I am berated from time to time by my antipathy for dear old England. It is not that I don’t love aspects of the old country, it’s just that it is not the place I used to know and where I grew up and I get angry and frustrated when I see the erosion of old English values by political correctness and overcrowding and the consequent dilution of “Englishness”. The french seem to enjoy their “Frenchness” whereas it seems to me the modern english attitude tends towards denial of traditional values. Blimey, I have just read that back, and it sounds like it could have been written Brigadier Angry from Tonbridge Wells and sounds like a pompous old git, but if the cap fits….I think I could settle into that role rather easily! Of course the main reason I originally left was the diabolical weather, but I suspect there are more aspects that would weigh if I lived there now and was contemplating moving to France.
Mark Gurdon, paying his respects to my Chablis
My picture today shows one of my tennis foe, Mark Gurdon, enjoying a glass of wine at mine last evening before going on to mop up the wine stocks of the wingco. I must change some more pounds into euros today, so if you click on the highlighted link you can see quickly what the rates are doing, it will be volatile! and for that reason alone I wanted an outright winner in the election, but as I speak a hung parliament looks inevitable.
chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
Luton Airport, wafted into paradise?
At the Holiday Inn at Luton Airport. Please, just for a moment, consider the true horror of my situation, a week getting rained on and blown away and not in a nice sense, a public enquiry, and then an early night at quite possibly the most horrid hotel I have ever encountered!
Earlier today, fresh from my guidance class for the Speaker, John Bercow, Aylesbury beckons for a public enquiry attended by absolutely no one except the planning dept and their legal team. I give them a roasting and expect the correct decision shortly. I bump into old friend and golf foe Jeff Newton who is sad enough to brandish his FA cup Final Ticket. Apparently a little known team called Chelsea will be playing. He asks if I have seen a cup final ticket recently, I have to remind him that it is just a few short years ago since Liverpool held aloft a proper cup, the European Cup. I enquire whether Chelsea have ever won this much more prestigious trophy, answer comes there none.
The prospect of returning to France for the inevitable sunshine is further enlived by the prospect of lunch followed by golf at Le Provencal in Valbonne, commencing some 1 hour 40 minutes after I am due to land back in civilisation. The prospect of once again delivering a metaphorical slap to Mark Gurdon on the course is as always a thrilling prospect. I have eaten once before at Le Provencal which has a good repuation, indeed in one of my other guises I have reviewed for FR2DAY although the service was a little slow, the escargots were amongst the best I have ever tasted.
I have never understood the British reluctance to eat snails or frogs legs, both seem to me to be on a par with whelks, or jellied eels or tripe or even haggis, all of which I also like. I once ate snake in Japan which I still consider along with the kobe beef on that trip as amongst the best culinary delights I have ever experienced.
Valbonne square, a fitting counterpoint to Luton Airport
The picture could have been worse, it could have been light and then I could have placed it in such a way as to hint at the majestic background landscape that is Luton Airport!
Friday its off to Valbonne for a Japanese night at Frances Thompsons supper club, a somewhat more edifying prospect that that above, I think you will agree! off now to change my £’s into euros at a much better rate than earlier due to those lovely Greeks, and I hope our spanish, portugese , Irish and Italian friends will continue do their little bit to depress further the value of the euro!
chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
Mr Speaker joins me for a curry
The speaker of The House Of Commons joins myself and Mr Thonton Allan at a curry house in Winslow
As my friend Mark Gurdon remarked yesterday “May the fourth be with you” – should have been yesterdays title! I see his speech impediment is not improved by living in England…A visit to the Nags Head in Winslow where men are men and sheep are nervous, to stay at nearby Horwood House and to see old (and I mean old) pals Dave Ell, Doddy and Colin O Dell and then a curry before an early night preparing for the expensive farce of a public enquiry today in Aylesbury . After arrival in the “city of the trees” Milton Keynes, but thankfully not for long, I leave as fast as possible for sleepy Winslow. Mr Thornton Allan, who is also in England this week, and I are talking deeply and earnestly about how to fix the countries ills. Somone must have alerted The Speaker Of The House Of Commons, John Bercow, to our learned discussions because as my picture shows, he dashed into the curry house to hear what we had to say.
Earlier, I buy a 1st class single from Euston to Milton Keynes for some £25 some 30 euros to ensure I get a comfortable seat, I have forgotten that trains in UK are not only an utter rip off but furthermore I am forced to stand all the way as it is oversubscribed, I cannot tell you how much I hate some aspects of my home country, had I known it was standing room only I would have at least saved £10 on a second class stand as I think it must be called! I am tempted to engage Mr Bercow in a debate about this, but as he is the only speaker in living memory to be challenged in a General Election in his constituency I decide to hold my tongue.
Someone tells me that there is some moisture back in Valbonne, but they must be mistaken, perhaps someone’s sprinkler is on rather too high, at least its not wet today here as I near the end of a frankly underwhelming visit to the uk, but boy is it cold! I see on the tv that the skiing season in Scotland will continue into June….global warming? Bah humbug. Perhaps there is an increase in co2 but what about the effects of sun spots, or for that matter volcanoes, which once again threaten to disrupt travel, indeed I am nervously monitoring the news channels to see if I may be marooned in England. I am counting down the hours to my return for lunch in the sun on Thursday.
chris France
buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance
Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/
Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/
Best French Riviera Property Agent?
http://www.afa-international.com/
http://frenchriviera-properties.com/
rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514
Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/
Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/
Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/
Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com
Top quality interior designer? http://www.marineguigue.com/
Chris France's Blog 