Birthday Thoughts as my 70th year starts!

Last Thursday saw me reach my 69th Birthday and this has led me, more than usually, to contemplate the blessings that I have in my life and the speed at which life passes!!

First my blessings. My life is made so much the better by the love of my life, Gaynor, and of my family and especially my grandchildren, and of course our dog Micha. My health, touch wood, has been amazing considering I have always over eaten and over smoked cigars! I even have near indestructalble teeth that have had one very minor filling in 50 years, and even then I think my dentist was just bored with making no profit from me!
My friends are just amazing and over the years many have shown me such love and care that I can never repay. One of my greatest blessings is my business partner who has been better than a brother to me. We have worked together for more than 15 years now and never had a disagreement or thought to mistrust each other. Did I mention that living, here in the South of France is something I dreamed of but never expected to happen and in so doing found Golf, through that my pals Mark and Chris and not to forget Henri.

To celebrate my Birthday we went for lunch at the Magnan restaurant which besides the food being great has the terrace with the best ambiance in the area.
To complete my day my business partner John and his lovely wife Caroline drove from UK, especially to spend my Birthday together and this is in spite of John having had a severe operation not too long ago. That is a true friend.

As to the speed at which time passes, I was passing our local wine cave the other day and it was surrounded by French farmers with their narrow tractors, to go between the vines, and trailers full of grapes and I thought I was seeing things as it seems only months since they picked the harvest but actually it is a year!!!


Mr. L. 01/09/2011

Grimaud Music in the Streets

Each Tuesday evening in July and August our local village puts on music in the streets for the tourists.
This week it was a group from Cap Verdi ( Africa) and very colourful they were.
We got a table with a group of French friends at the Cafe de France in the centre of the village and just opposite from where the group were performing.
The weather was perfect, for sitting outside, and the company and food was great.
I love being with the French as it forces us to speak French. What with UK Sky in our home and most of our friends being English it is easy to get lazy about using ones French.

Mr.L. 3/08/2011

England Trip

Our trip to Uk has been busy! It started in London with spending 4 nights with my daughters family and gave me a chance to see my grandchildren.
During our stay I managed a round of golf with my son in law and visited our chef friends , Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi for a BBQ. They are known for their TV series " Return to Tuscany" which was about their running a cookery school in Tuscany. They also have a restaurant and cookery school in London and a restaurant in Bray. The BBQ was great and we had game, both venison and guinea fowl. The picture above is them preparing our meal!
We are presently in our Farmhouse in the North West and I have already managed 18 holes on the Southport & Ainsdale links golf course, a new experience for me and exhilerating!
Last night we visited Rusholme, in Manchester ( Indian Restaurant Heaven) and delighted my wife with her favourite food! For me I prefer Chinese!

Mr.L. 24/09/2010

VIAC and friends

One of the most difficult things about living in the South of France is the transient nature of the people who live here. People are here for many reasons, some come to stay others are only here for a period of years.
We recently lost good friends, pictured above, that we had spent a lot of time with and indeed had been on several holidays with. They returned to America, which they always said they would return to, so that they could be with their families and friends.
Friends’ departing the area always leaves a hole in your life which is hard to fill, but I guess that life is like that.
Of course we have many acquaintances and several close friends who we are blessed with and these always enrich our lives.
For ex-pats living in the area there are many associations that one can join to meet other English speaking people. The one we joined was VIAC, this is a luncheon club that meets once a month and is an excellent way of meeting new friends.
Mr.L. 8/3/10

VIAC- 0494 478363

Hot days and barmy evenings in Sainte Maxime by Mark

Last night we went out to Sainte Maxime with my old mate Roby from Milan. He had just popped over with his wife Marika and their daughter Ava for a few days R and R, I think it was just an excuse for a couple of playing lessons with me up at the Sainte Maxime golf club.

Andrew, Michele, Marika, Ava, Roby and Lady

After a few drinks and a meal at La Derive (during the meal Lady was schooled by Ava or was it the other way round) we strolled up the walking street to our favourite ice cream seller ‘Coco glaces’ At that point all thoughts of sticking to my diet had completely gone out of my head, so as they say ‘ in for a penny in for a pound’

For me!!!!