My 11th Birthday in France with Dave & Alanea

My Blog is acting weird, I cannot easily edit and make changes and my Birthday post is late.  August 12th was my 11th birthday and I was very cool about the whole thing.  August 12 is a special day, Dave says I showed up and JL checked out (not the same year though).  I liked JL and visited him in the hospital when he was sick.  He sure smiled when he saw me.  Alanea gave me cookies on my birthday and I was quite pleased with my long beach walk.   A very funny thing did happen a few days ago on Thursday.  Dave got up early to go out and Alanea stayed in bed because she was tired.  As usual Dave fed me at 06:30.  Alanea did not know that Dave fed me because Dave always cleans up everything.  Alanea asked me if I had eaten my breakfast and I did not say "yes".  When Dave came home Alanea asked Dave about it and Dave said "Of course I fed the boy as usual at 06:30".  I scammed Alanea for the very first time ever.
The pictures during the last year are: The restaurant that Alanea and Dave took me to on New Years eve, Me sharing Dave's birthday Tarte au Pomme at Pizza Napoli in St. Aygulf, me on my lounge chair on my terrasse and me taking Alanea for a walk on my birthday.  This sure is a nice place for me and now Uncle George and Birgit have come from Denmark to their house it should be even more fun, Iben their daughter is here too, I think that I can scam her for a cookie.

Another Jazz Festival

This time Alanea & Dave took me to the Jazz festival at Chateau Berne outside of Lorgues a 45 minute drive from my house.  Dave rides through Lorgues all of the time with the cycling group.  What a time I had dancing and eating food despite the heat and it was HOT HOT HOT.  The band was fabulous and I was very happy when Alanea took me walking in the cool grass.  Chateau Berne is a big, elegant and classy winery with an equally elegant hotel (Alanea and I fit right in but Dave is not so elegant even with his shaved legs).  Chateau Berne has the biggest wine sales outlet that I have ever seen, it is truly an upscale place with a helicopter pad and mountain bike trails.  The wine is not as good as some, Dave says, but they sure try hard with square bottles and a very broad selection.  I just like to go and eat, but Dave won't let me eat dessert.  This is a keeper, we will go again prochain annee.

 

2 Highlights of the week

So the 100th Tour de France finished last Sunday with another victory for the UK as Chris Froome and The Sky Team showed the world once more that they are the champions.  If you watched any of the TDF you could not help but be impressed with the stunning scenery and aerial photos of Corsica and the rest of France.  I am going to Corsica with Dave and Alanea in October for Alanea's birthday.  The photo of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was taken by Dave right off of the TV screen.  Note riders between 1 and 5 PM.

The other photo was the second highlight, a Jazz concert that Alanea and Dave went to see on Wednesday with Chas and Di their neighbours from the UK.  Alanea said that the concert was extraordinary and Dave agreed that it was a masterpiece by the sea.  Indeed the concert took place in a little park in Les Issambres, a village close to our house.  I could not go to the concert but Dave told me all about it.

There were 6 musicians called the Hot Antic Jazz Band.  There was a Banjo player, a piano player, trumpet, tuba, clarinet and saxophone.  They were incredible and played a  lot of old classics including "3 little words, St. Louis Blues and Horse Feathers.  When Dave was 17 he worked with a guy named Johnny who played Jazz music and sang words to St. Louis Blues that were not suitable in mixed company so Dave had fond memories sort of.

Imagine a fabulou

s jazz concert in a beautiful private park setting, under a full moon, surrounded by Parasol Pin and Palm trees 100 metres from the Mediterranean.  If I had been there it would have been the best concert in the world.     

Whooo what a nice car ride

Alanea and Dave took me for a car ride to Italy because they know that I like salami, gelato and scenery.  We went to Lake Como for 5 nights.  We stayed in a nice little hotel called Orso Bruno (Brown Bear) in Carate Orio, Italy.  It was very nice because we had 2 windows, 1 looked down the road and the other at Lake Como and Sylvio Berlusconi's house, Dave thinks he is nuts but would not pass up a "bunga bunga" party especially if there was Coors Light on tap.  George Clooney, he's an actor, owns a house right beside the hotel and we almost saw him at Villa d'Este, the problem was that we went there at lunch time and old George did not come until night time for the July 4th party and fireworks.  There would have been fireworks for sure if Alanea had met George YIKES.  Alanea was devastated to discover that George was so close and she missed her chance to see him, she went and sat on a bench beside his house and we had to get her or she might still be sitting there.  She had to explain to Dave who George is, Dave is good for driving and stuff like buying gelato but not too bright.  The bus and the ferry boat stopped right outside of the hotel.  The boat took us to Bellagio where we had lunch and looked at everything and walked in a little park.  Como is a nice city full of shops and old historic sights, Dave carries me sometimes because there are too many people and I get tired, which is why I need gelato.  We and then drove over the top of the lakes through Locarno to Lake Orta where Alanea quickly got over George and was very happy.  It was a beautiful small lake with an island in the middle. We took a little boat to the island but it is protected and I could only walk around the perimeter on a path.  Lake Orta was smaller but better for me because no cars are allowed to drive in Orta San Giulio, the town where we stayed.  The hotel was managed by 2 sisters that looked nasty but are very nice.  I really liked this trip because it was only 1050 km of driving plus lots of walking, food, sightseeing but no George Clooney.  Alanea took lots of photos.  If you want any info let me know and I will ask Alanea to send you a photo. 

It is officially summer

I am quite busy right now because most of our absentee neighbours are here on vacation, the garden requires lots of surveillance because there are cats that look through the fence, I must take Alanea for a walk on the beach in the early morning, Alanea goes to Russia and Greece, Dave is busy with gardening, cycling and golf, vigilance is required to ensure that the cookie jar is never empty and that I never miss an opportunity plus I have this Blog to update.  I am truly The Yorkshire Journalist.  I am always looking for unique opportunities to post on my Blog and after next week when I go to Italy, Lake Como, there will be many new things to post.  For now I thought that I would show you a truly remarkable achievement.  Alanea put this ball in the tree when hitting her 3d shot on the 16th hole yesterday.  I can't go to the golf course so Dave told me about Alanea's shot  Try

it sometime, it ain't easy.

Summer time summer time sum sum summer time

My favorite place is the beach at St. Aygulf, we go early to avoid crowds and traffic.   Alanea says that I run like a horse.  It is so much fun to go like a free boy especially knowing that Dave will save me if I get into trouble.  I never go near the salty water though.  It is a very big beach and we walk for an hour.  Alanea knows when I am thirsty and tired.  I don't like leaving so I just sit when Dave says we have to go home.  Dave found a shovel and brought it home.  I wish Oscar, Cargo, Ivor and his new little sister were here to run with me. Alanea's acebea has grown right over the top of the arbour.

I love my walking at the Ski Nautique

SHHH, Dave and Alanea took me to my favorite place today, now I am tired.  Alanea always carries water for me to drink from her hand.  At this time of the year the roses grow at the end of each vine at Chateau Vaudois.  I get very tired after my walks because I am a little chubby after a long winter without 2 walks per day, Alanea calls me the Porky Yorkie but I don't care I love my cookies.  At the golf course where Alanea and Dave go there is a new family of baby Egyptian geese.  Very rare geese and beautiful colours.  Now that spring is here (I hope) I will go for more walks.