When I started this post, I was planning on going skiing, flying out on Saturday. However to enter France and ski I need to be triple vaccinated (tick) and swear that I have not been in contact with someone who has tested positive in the 14 days before I travel. Until Thursday night that was true but then I received the unwanted message. As I’m letting my fellow travellers down two others are reporting a similar issue.
Bum. Hey Ho, there are a lot worse problems right now so I’ll let this post go as is. Just bear in mind as you read it that I’m thinking about my friends as Gore Vidal did his: ‘When I hear about my friend’s success, something in me dies a little’.
This week I’m in Val D’Isere in the French Alps. I’ve skied there before and it’s a buzzy resort with one (in)famous restaurant/dance emporia called La Folie Douce. I will not be participating. My goal, in advance of the week is to get up and down the mountains in one piece with, one hopes some beautiful scenery to distract me, a sense that my outward appearance belies the current potency of my musculature and that I will enjoy one too many decent feeds. The group of should-know-betters with whom I participate has been doing this annual sojourn for upwards of twenty years since our children were at primary school together. It is, of course, the company that counts.
For those concerned, the Textiliste does not enjoy skiing so stays behind, minds the fort and Dog and sews until the wee hours. Currently she is creating a village of pin cushions.. I expect it will have grown by the time I return…
I always have a dilemma around writing on holiday. There will be few opportunities for concentrated writing – I’m expected to be sociable – so my plan is to take some kindle books to read and two pieces of editing that I’ve printed out. The first is the Secret Diary of a Father of the Fiancéed, based on some fictional posts I wrote around my daughter’s wedding. This will be a short book, more a novella and I hope will cause the odd giggle and snort. The second is the next compilation of short fiction that I’ve written across 2018 and 2019. Provisionally titled Life and Soul it should make the shelves this year as should the Secret Diary. My plans for my Pearl Barley trilogy will have to take a bit of a back seat for a couple of weeks. It will probably improve things.
And as I know you like these things, here’s a limerick I penned for Esther Chilton’s most recent prompt (the prompt being sneak)…
People would take a sneaky peek
At Roger Schnozzle’s extraordinary beak.
It was truly humongous
And smelt of old fungus
And would constantly, saltily leak.
And a terrible tanka based on what you find in your pocket
In my pocket I find
A hole through which my life slips
A hole robbing me
Of my sanity. And cash.
It is a complete A***hole…
I don’t know how much time I will have to blog. Who knows? In case it’s not much, here are a couple of further signs of spring chez moi and of course, Dog
So there you have it. Completely wrong… sigh!
And finally a little bit of ego boosting puffery. My memoir of me and my mother during her final 5 years Apprenticed To My Mother (link here) received a rather splendid review recently which I shamelessly copy here:
This is one of those delightful books that has the power to make you laugh and cry. It’s an entertaining and moving account of the author’s attempts to help his mother during the last five years of her life and it’s wonderfully done. It’s not written in a linear way but dips, as memories do, back to amusing childhood incidents that reveal a family that shared a close bond forged by incident and humour. The descriptions of the author’s fairly pointless battles to reason with his stubborn but clever mother reveal a love on both sides that was very touching. Anyone with elderly parents will identify with the situations here but the humour in their telling is superb and I did, honestly, laugh out loud several times.
I recommend this book wholeheartedly!
The writer clearly is a person of taste and discernment. Please feel free to follow their recommendation
TanGental 
So sorry to hear you missed your skiing trip.
Have already read about your apprenticeship. It’s a worthy read and great review to boot. Well done!
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Thanks Norah. Hopefully there will be future chances
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Fingers crossed.
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Loved Apprenticed! Skiing not so much. I’m with the Textiliste on that. Cross-country skiing is my pace. 😂
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She likes slow snow these days!
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Bummer that you missed your skiing trip. But you’re being productive, which counts for something. And I do love the collection of pincushions! How clever! I prefer cross country myself but as it hardly ever snows here, I haven’t done it in a while.
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I’ve not tried cross country. One fir the bucket list
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Are you missing your skiing trip Geoff..sorry I am confused ( and a tad thick!) We missed our trip with friends to Antigua last month and it was truly galling when they face timed us to show their beautiful surroundings and how much fun they were having and how much they missed us !!!
If you are still going have a blast!
You do seem authorly busy good on you.
As for Apprentice to my Mother, I have always said it you piece Dr resistance! I love it and am always plugging it.
Fingers crossed your off to be off piste! 💜
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Sadly I’m stuck in London but Mylo is happy
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I thought you were….so sorry it is no fun is it….been there done that and got the T-Shirt 🎿🎿🎿🎿🎿
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There is only one possible suggestion to make – get piste!
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If only I wasn’t teetotal
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I’ll drink to that!
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Sorry about your trip. I would suggest staying out of the way now that you are home. My experience is when those who must be obeyed believe they will be having time to themselves it is best to make that happen no matter what. The potting shed could look like the alps if you really try hard.
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Any sloping roof will do. Wise advice!
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I’ve walked in your shoes.
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So is it true what they say about men with small feet…?
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Let me check.
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I with your wife – no more skiing for me. Her houses are adorable – does she sell them? Congrats on the review!
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The houses may be sold. The jury is out.
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Sorry to hear about your dashed plans. Perhaps you can find an alternative get-away with friends. I LOVE the village of pin cushions!
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They are great aren’t they. Yes another opportunity will come soon enough.
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Bummer, but maybe home’s the best place at mo.
Love the village – made me suddenly think of Gordon Thoday fabrics in Norwich!
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Don’t tell Linda. She’ll want to visit. And yes skiing seems v indulgent right now
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Luckily for you, I think they’ve closed down now!
I meant that, given things being unstable at mo, it’s probably nice for family that you’re together. No probs with any self-indulgence!
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Ah, how delightful to get together with old friends and enjoy an activity together. I typically organize a monthly retirement lunch, but we have been unable to gather for several months because of Covid. (Hey, some people ski, and then guys like me eat 🤣). As you say, it’s all about the company. Anyway, things are improving here, so I’m going to give it another shot in April.
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Go for it before the next variety is confirmed!!
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What a beautiful garden you have! I love the magnolia!!
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We inherited them when we moved in. By our reconning they are at least 50 years old now…
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Amazing!! Purples ones dont grow here in Perth, too hot for them. Please keep sharing garden photos!
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Ah now I know that your Perth isn’t the Scottish variety but the Freemantle one. No one has ever suggested your Perth twin is too hot for anything!!
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Well strangely we have white magnolias that grow here abundantly, the purple ones grow everywhere in Sydney. I love these trees!
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They are delightful. My mother planted one in our garden when we moved in, in 1970 along with a contorted willow her favourites. By the time she moved out in 2006 they were beautiful and abundant and probably 2 reasons why getting her to move was so difficult.
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Ohh trees are the best and become our friends and a comfort. Well thats my opinion anyway! X
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I’m with the Textiliste on the snow thing. I absolutely love it, from a warm and comfy perch. 🙂
Congrats on the splendid review! 😀
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I love your wife’s pin cushions!! They would be perfect for children to play with, setting up house with toy people and cars. Really wonderful, and I must search for something like this for my classroom.
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They are filled with rice and yes I can understand why children would love them. She taught a class on them last week with the aim of having a village at this years quilt festival that she’s curating. Sometime in September I believe.
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What a great idea!! And, rice sounds like a perfect filling. I look forward to your post on the village in September.
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It’ll be fab. It always is!
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So this is not a first for her? Wow! Do you remember Milly the quilter? She would have loved hooking up with your wife.
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Yes I do. The whole project was wonderful. I made that link in a post a while back! https://geofflepard.com/2021/08/16/in-praise-of-crafts/
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I definitely remember the post. Thanks, Geoff.
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Your wife is very talented and I’m in favour of creating pincushions than skiing which I can’t do to save myself though Les was a natural skier many moons ago.
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I’m far from a natural by snow wrestling is definitely a sport I embrace
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Pingback: WINNER of the Weekly Terrible Poetry Contest 3/17/2022
Your springtime is looking lovely. And, your poetry is budding as well! 😉
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Ah flatterer…
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You know me…
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By now…
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