France

France has been good to me as a country.

I have early memories of the beautiful valleys around the Dordogne, the caves at Padirac and Roufignac. Camping by the swiftly flowing waters and swimming beside the flat smooth stones of the river bed. I remember leaping into the Garonne and being swept along by huge and tumultous torrents. I recall, further south the dusty lanes of the mediavel Carcasonne and the Pyrenneian foothills around it. There are memories, of my childhood of the Loire valley and the Chateaux which reflect in its limpid waters as you drive by. I played football agaionst Georges Braque school two seasons running in Dieppe. I visited as a young man, the west coast, taking a small boat from Arcachon to Cap Ferret and fighting with the Atlantic rollers on the beaches. I spent, with Jamie Marshall, a fine time in Brive at the age of 16 where we camped and subsequently visited a rock festival at Mont de Marsin ( Siouxse Sioux and Killing Joke present ). Later, aged 17, I spent a wonderful sojourn in Blois where we as Lewes rugby Club Colts managed to scream and shout and cause mayhem throughout the town whilst doing no harm to person and winning every game we played. France is an empire in itself, a mini continent with a fantastic cuisine and an admirable Gallic disdain for all etrangers.. Aged 19 France saved me again, providing me a place to hide from the world, surrounded by the Alpes at Les Deux Alpes I worked at the Cairn and the Sherpa Hotels for Skibound and made breakfast and salads until I found my place as a plongeur. I skiied all day every day and firmly beeive that there are few finer pastimes. You see France is magnificent in all aspects, what a variety of lanscape and climates, what a verdant and succulent land it is. I did not do much in france during my early adult years, it being a place of transit to more distant places, though I was lucky enough to spend some time in Paris and revelled in the romantic beauty of the city as well as its darker side in Rue Saint Denis. I hitchhiked ( or bunked the trains) on several occasions in France. During my first pregnancy I discovered Collioure and read Bonfiglioli novels on balconies. Recenlty I have wandered Dieppe and Cleres with my wonderful daughters.

During my time in France and elsewhere I have always found the French people to be quite like me - arrogant, eloquent, beautiful and badly dressed so I have always loved them. I have followed their sporting failures with glee whilst spending many an hour enthused with its poetic output, Baudelaire, Mallareme and Rimbaud really rock my soul.

La ( or is it Le) Hex is a great and wonderful place and I have forgotten more places than I dare remember. I have also remembered more than I dare forget as many French rhythyms run through my soul and the langue is oft on my mind.