Spring cleaning again

Despite starting to clean the terrace on May 25th, I have finally got round to finishing it. (That's 17 days ago! Action packed and dynamic you are not - Ed)

The before and after contrast is amazing. There I was thinking that the terrace was clean(ish) and it's actually horribly dirty. A job that now has to be finished because it looks so obvious. In order to save time and effort I did suggest to my beloved that maybe she would like a chequerboard pattern. That way I'd only have to clean half the flags. She was not impressed!

I blame it all on Jan. She needs to improve her nagging skills.

Forza Italia!

Looks like I spoke a bit too soon about the Italian football team. They got stuffed by Holland last night.

A new job

Talking of football teams, I have applied, and been accepted, to manage a little known team from Finland. They are not very well established but I think that they've got potential and I can't wait to get stuck in. I attach a team photo.

Blood sports

The lull before the storm. Just after calling me cute this morning (get her eyes checked - Ed), Jan proceeded to try and cut my finger off with a pair of tree lopping shears. Don't you just hate it when someone says "Soreeee", in that whiny way when you know that they are not really sorry and accept no responsibility. It has to be one of my all time pet hates. (Sounds like her pet hate is you - Ed)

Despite the above, I cheer myself up with the knowledge that it's a great day for sport. The men's final at Roland Garros, the Canadian Grand Prix, Euro football and the UK Open Darts Final (just kidding about the last one!) I'm going to have to ration myself with the football. Do I really care how Austria and Croatia get on? My team, Italy, will undoubtedly kick ass so that's who I'm rooting for. Bring it on!

Larry LaPrise

With all the mess around the house at the moment I forgot to mention the death of Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote the Hokie Cokey. He died peacfully in his sleep at the age of 96.

The most traumatic part for his family however was when they came to bury him. Putting him in the coffin, they put his left leg in.....................and then the problems really started.

(This joke has been around for ages - Ed)

A real hero

The saga of the blocked drain continues. The first picture is a general view of the crater (with Bryan in it) left by the excavation to uncover the manhole and the picture below is Bryan crouched over the 50x50 cms manhole bailing it out. When you want to describe the meaning of hero, or friendship, this picture of Bryan up to his neck in our shit should help.

A wise widow

Hmnnn

Le Vintage

At lunchtime today, we met up with Fran and Peter, long time friends of Jan, who were on holiday in Avignon. Despite what Jan had said, I thought that they were very nice!
We met at the Vintage Cafe, 7 rue de Bernis, Nimes, 0466 21 04 45, (in the old part of Nimes) a restaurant I'd heard good reports about. The reports were correct. My 16 euros three course lunch was good and with some thought having been put into each course. We sat outside in their small courtyard. Recommended.

A great curry

If you're stuck in France, or anywhere else for that matter, and you just have to have a decent curry, look no further than this recipe. Jan cooked it the other night and I loved it. For the perfect rice accompaniment then this is the recipe for you (and me).

Airport security

I have long objected to the ill conceived, inconsistent and sometimes stupid security at airports. I think that this just proves my case.

Yves and Bo

I was sad to hear about the death of Yves Saint Laurent this morning. Not because of his design skills but because of his perfume. Over the years, my perfume of choice has been 'YSL Pour Homme'. This is very closely followed by '1881' by Cerruti. It all depends upon my mood. (You're looking for some free samples aren't you? - Ed)
Jan, who is more of an engine oil and sweat kind of girl, has Opium, also by YSL, as her favourite. So, on behalf of chez nous, thanks Yves.
To make matters worse, Bo Diddley has just died as well. So much good music and not a smell in sight. Shame.

Moonpig

We have always been disappointed with the selection of greeting cards that we could find in France and I've seen, and received, some really funny cards from Moonpig. The vast majority of the cards that we send are for delivery in the UK and with a couple of birthdays coming up this month I've just ordered two for delivery nearer the date. It's a great service, even allowing you to personalise your cards with uploaded photos and setting reminders so that you won't forget. Have a look and see what you think.

Bored

It's the first of June and it's still raining. A local chap, who keeps weather stats, said that this has been the worst May since he arrived 12 years ago. A small crumb of comfort is that it is pretty miserable throughout most of Europe. This site tells all.

Being confined to the house makes me realise how much I miss being outdoors. Added to that, Jan, who is normally a 'well' person, suddenly decided that she was ill. How inconsiderate is that? She knows that I can be a nuisance when I'm bored so she is probably feigning it.
I'm so bored that I could even look forward to repairing the manhole and the stench of human excrement. That shows you how bad it is. Having said that, it will still need fixing tomorrow so that's something to look forward to.