A Point to Ponder

OBITUARY - COMMON SENSE

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure hold old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, on worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, and his son, Reason.. He is survived by three stepbrothers;

I KNOW MY RIGHTS
SOMEONE ELSE IS TO BLAME
and
I'M A VICTIM.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him pass this on in remembrance. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

PS: Here in France Monsieur Savoir Faire is reported to be showing symptoms of energy loss and muscular deterioration. There are rumours that a bed has been prepared for him in the Intensive Care Unit, but this is only a precautionary measure at this stage. Many of his supporters still dare to speak up for him, although even they seem to be starting to lose heart in the battle against Madame Laissez Faire and Mademoiselle Pas a la Mode.

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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Deja Vue?

I drove along the Lalinde Canal yesterday and saw myself! Well -- myself in about ten years' time -- but there I am, sitting on the edge of the Lalinde Canal, fishing for carp and anything else that will bite, enjoying the summer champagne air and the warmth of the sunshine through the leaves of the plane trees.........

And not far away is my friend Didier, telling me to stop bothering him with my chatter -- and my camera...........


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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

A few important sign posts in my life recently

 

Summer in the Dordogne

In summer the Dordogne comes alive with music and cultural activities - so much so that it is impossible to attend even a fraction of what is available.

Last Saturday the street theatre came to Lalinde with a quality performance in the village square that would have drawn crowds in Broadway. A simple story told through music and song, characters on ten-foot high stilts and on mono-cycles, fairy lights and fire eaters, jugglers and contortionists. A veritable feast for the eye and the soul!

More food for the soul on Sunday night when three young local men performed to far too few in the Lalinde church -- a magnificent accoustical venue in which to present the combination of organ and two trumpets. Bach at his spine chilling best and Purcell to die for!

Last night I attended the second of three music recitals in the achingly beautiful Abbey church in Paunat.This church in Paunat is one of a handful of churches in the area that was consecrated in the first millennium - namely in 991 -- but its construction dates back even further --- to 804. Again, the natural stone and uneven surfaces of the very high walls, provided a perfect accoustical chamber for any music, and the gleaming black Bechstein looked quite at home in the soft golden glow of the cherch last night. Roger Muraro was the pianist who regaled us with his lively and animated interpretation of Mozart, Liszt and Chopin. Muraro is best know for his mastery of Messianen's work, and as this composer was so strongly influenced by the delicacy and refined harmonic work of Chopin, it is probably not surprising that Muraro was able to present a fresh and different approach to Chopin's Funereal Sonata opus 25 and the ever-delightful Andante spianato et Grande Polonaire. The last time I had heard this piece was in the open air of Chopin Park in Warsaw and at the time I thought one should never play this piece in any other setting. Hearing it again last night in the ancient abbey church of Paunat, made me change my mind on that one!
Reading up on Muraro was interesting -- almost everything written about him all over the world is positive and complimentary -- especially where it concerns his knowledge and expertise in Messianen's work, but for his interpretation of Chopin, Liszt and his vaast repertoire of other work as well -- that is -- everything and everywhere -- except in the British press.
We also suffered from Roger Muraro, a pianist known in Britain only for having his past Ravel recordings purloined for use under Joyce Hatto’s name in that sad hoax. One might brush off Muraro’s metallic lamé jacket as a
French eccentricity. Far harder to excuse the thumping dullness of his Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand., writes Geoff Brown on Muraro's preformance at the Proms at the Albert Hall last week. Listening to the Brits in the audience last night -- all distinctly dressed in their English-in-the-french-countryside uniform of pale pastel linens for the women and the obiquitous jumper-over-the-shoulders for the men -- I could not help but wonder whether they had all done their homework before the recital and read the same Geoff Brown crit in The Times of last week. Almost the exact words were heard - sounding oh so knowledgeable and erudite, but with nowhere a reference, acknowledgement or a quotation mark in evidence. I shuddered and for a moment thought I had landed back in the counties amongst the Landrover, cashmere and Harrow/Charter House coterie. But how could that have been? Never in Surrey or any of the shires did we enjoy this kind of cultural feast and this quality and variety of entertainment and enjoyment as the French are so good at offering! I was so tempted to mutter out loud the lovely Robert Auden observation about the Brits ---
Let us honour if we can
The vertical man,
Though we value none
But the horizontal one.

Tonight I join a group of friends for a completely different experience - A Blues and Gospel evening in the main market square of the beautiful medieval bastide town of Monpazier -- and Monday night it is back to Paunat for a magical evening of six of the best cellists in France, performing together under the masterful direction of Roland Pidoux. Could anything be more beautiful than an ensemble of 6 cellos? -- Let's hear what the Brits have to criticise there!....

Oh -- and forget not to come join us this weekend in Lalinde for the Annual Wine Fair as well as the musical street party on Saturday night! -- and remember to bring your own cutlery and crockery!

See you there!









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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France

Back home!

It feels as if I have been away forever -- flying around the world and experiencing the most amazing things along the way.

-- but it is good to back next to the Dordogne, the sound of the river waking me in morning, the farmers setting up their stalls for the morning market, the ducks squabbling below my window, the swans gliding serenely by (still no sign of little ones!), many of the fields that were lush and green when I left, now harvested and bare..............

But the tourists have arrived! In their thousands. Cars clogging up the bridge, people milling about, queues outside anything that looks like it could be worthwhile writing home about......... I had forgotten what August was like in the Southwest of France!

And this afternoon the first of my guests arrive -- and once again Chateau Lalinde will be humming with excited voices and laughter and people enjoying the pure pleasure of discovering the wonder of opening their bedroom windows onto the magnificent view of the Dordogne river!




Click on Link:

Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France