Roman Polanski

Frankly I'm amazed at the public outpouring of grief at Roman Polanski's arrest. If I was the parent of a 13 year old child that he'd had sex with I'd follow him to the ends of the earth and happily cut off his balls. Talk about twisted values. This guy's been on the run for 30 years, living a pretty normal life, so arguably he's has had a pretty good time of it. All this sycophantic, luvey rubbish makes me sick. And, if you read the first article, who exactly is Fanny Ardent, in fact who gives a shit who she is? The world has turned upside down.

I wish this rain would stop

Look, I'm not a cruel person and I feel extremely sorry for the people who have suffered as a result of the floods in the Phillipines but when I saw pictures of people wading, waste deep, through filthy flood water, and carrying an umbrella, it did make me laugh.

Opuntia

When I was young my mother took me many times to Italy. These were trips home to see her mother, my grandmother, who lived in Foggia and we spent many weeks at the nearby seaside resort of Siponto.

I only mention this because I bought some cactus fruit yesterday, and it reminded me of these trips. I'm talking about the early fifties, when there were two types of beach vendor, one sold fresh coconut and the other fichi d'India. This guy would walk along the beach shouting in the local dialect what sounded like 'figidindi'. He carried a bucket of these cactus fruits and would peel them for you so that you didn't get near the lethal thorns that cover the outside of the fruit. In France they're called figues de barbarie.

They have a light, fragrant flavour but be careful not to bite on the seeds which get stuck in your teeth.

A little trip down memory lane.

BMW F800S Garage Door Opener

It was the dry delivery that fooled me. I just didn't expect the outcome and it made me laugh out loud.

Chicken cacciatore

Don't get me wrong, I could probably survive happily on a non meat diet. Jan has lots of interesting and tasty veggie dishes which she has developed over the years, mainly because my son James doesn't eat meat. Well now James and Pauline have returned home, after a few days R&R with us, and I begged my beloved for something a bit meatier. I've had enough bloody tofu. What a waste of time it is. Why eat something as a meat substitute, something that neither feels or tastes like meat? Just eat bloody meat? But what do I know?

Anyway, I saw this recipe for chicken cacciatore in a mag the other day and politely suggested (it sounded more like begging to me - Ed) that it would be a welcome change from that tofu shit.

Well, what does my beloved do? She cooked it tonight. And very nice it was too.

And, just in case you feel like something a little more substantial, you might want to take a look at McDonalds latest offering.

Fancy a laugh?

Thanks to Peter you have the chance to see the next French winner of X Factor. Take a look at this, it's so funny.

French parking

The French are, in my opinion, the worst drivers that I have ever come across. A large number of them are dangerous and very self centred. And that's just their behaviour on the road.

Whilst waiting for Jan in the car park at Carremeau today I took the following pictures. Each car has been parked without any consideration for other users, tales up a minimum of two bays and all the cars were parked within 10 meters of where I parked. A pox on all their houses.

Watermelon has magical properties

I love watermelon, and now I know why.

A very pleasant day out

We had a very nice afternoon with James and Pauline exploring a lovely area around Pic Saint Loup and had tastings at Mas Bruguiere and Domaine de L'Hortus. We weren't too keen on the reds at Bruguiere but they sold an excellent white. A Marsanne Roussanne mix.

Then it was down the road to Hortus which is an extremely interesting cave being made entirely out of wood with a balcony overlooking the wine making process. There was a bit more choice here with nice whites (Viognier and Chardonnay mixes) and some elegant reds. Neither place was particularly cheap but both places had reasonably priced wines and you could taste your way through their offerings. I would definitely recommend a trip to Hortus.

As if that wasn't enough we popped into Chateau de Cazeneuve and L'Auberge du Cedre next door to see if we could taste and/or eat. The first was shut and the restaurant was full. Hey ho, the menu looked interesting and with either a 30 euros or 39 euros menu is worth trying.

Discrimination

Thanks to Barbara for this. I wonder if she got her free drinks?

Maplin

I love Maplin. The electronics store for everything you never knew you needed. Like this, an Underwater Colour Surveillance System, or this, a portable washing machine, or even this a USB Digital Microscope with Stand. Come on, you know you need one! Look at the prices. Think how much you save. Think how much you'll impress your nearest and dearest. You know it makes sense!

A poignant moment

The rain poured down, as did the tears down my face, whilst I held Constantin's very tiny coffin. The words and poems did nothing to alleviate the terrible grief of all those standing in the rain.
The burial took place at Clayton Wood Burial Ground in the Sussex downs just to the north of Brighton. A peaceful, unspoilt and fitting resting place for one who saw so little of life. I grieve for you little one.

Le Fourneau de Clelia

For various reasons we haven't eaten here for some time but that changed last night. It's still the best restaurant within a twenty five minute drive.

The menu has changed at little, now costing 29 euros for a choice of two starters, two mains and cheese or pudding. Last night the starter choice was between a Roquefort terrine and gravlax and the main between steak or monk fish. This suited me but others might prefer a little more choice. Everything was well cooked and very tasty.


The wine list is good, not too expensive and features, amongst others, some local wine from Domaine de l'Orviel. Recommended.

The end is nigh

09/09/09 Lots of bozos were predicting the end of the world. So what happened chaps?

Back to normal

It's amazing. Just like a switch has been flicked off. It's not exactly cold, but 29C is much more palatable than a hot and humid 35C. It's as if someone has decided that now that the tourists have gone home the locals can enjoy more pleasant weather.

And sleep. I'm even sleeping with a light cover over the bed. All toasty warm in the morning, not sweaty, gasping for breath (there's a joke there somewhere) and deciding how little I would do that day.

And warm showers. I can't remember when I last had warm showers.

This is my kind of weather, I'm a happy bunny.

And the picture? Well, I searched under 'warm weather' and this was the first picture that Google displayed. You figure.

Hello big boy

I thought that I had big thighs, so when I measured them this morning I thought that I'd finally have proof that I'd live forever. No chance, 60 centimeters is enormous. Now I doubt that I'll make it til tomorrow.

The Wire

Wow, talk about the lull after the storm. The last week of August was particularly busy with lots of people around and lots happening. Now it's dead. Just the sound of jack hammers and compressors from the house which is being renovated next door.

So what was the answer? We have resorted to watching back episodes of The Wire to maintain a bit of adrenalin in the system. We've just started the fifth series and it's just as good as ever. Get it on DVD but start at the beginning, put subtitles on, and stay with it, but it's not something you'd watch with young children. It provides a fascinating insight into a fictional drug culture in and around Baltimore. As Jan said yesterday, 'what are we going to watch when this series finishes?' Excellent.

Too much time on your hands

The Daily Mash

This is an excerpt from the email I get from The Daily Mash.


"So, heroin production fell sharply in Afghanistan last year, so far in fact that it's now only double the level it was before we went there in the first place. Hurrah indeed. But hang on, won't this lead to a shortage of heroin on our streets and soaring prices as a result? And won't that mean that every cold turkey crazed addict will now have to mug us for two mobile phones instead of one? Gentlemen, return to your drawing boards."