Not the best of venues but an impressive British summer sunset
I can relive many different summers in many different countries (but quite a few of them in France) simply by listening to particular songs.
10cc’s “I’m not in love” immediately brings back memories of a long, hot summer in the South of France with a large group of people who are, still now, good friends, Men at Work’s “Down Under” was big the year I first came to Australia and Tina Arena’s “Chains” will always get me reaching for that imaginary microphone (yes, I know I’m showing my age but I’m past worrying about that; unfortunately I’m not past the microphone business)
Anyway, now I have a new summer song to add to my list. In Normandy, almost every morning and evening as I drove to Le Pin au Haras from Argentan, a song was played on my new ‘favourite’ radio station Virgin FM (although the station’s catch phrase Vir ‘Gin Tonique’ started to wear a bit thin after a few days). Two weeks later and by now addicted to it, I had to find out what the song was as it seemed so well known that the DJ never had to introduce it.
I had two hours to kill between arriving in Paris and leaving on the Eurostar so I indulged in a solitary lunch near the Gare Saint Lazare and tracked down the elusive song thanks to Google and YouTube (before you ask, yes I’d happily pay for these services).
Sometimes it’s the small things in life that bring great pleasure and this was one. A sunny day in Paris, a good lunch, friendly waiter who carried my, as always, heavy suitcase, a glass of red wine and to top it all off I found my song.
For those of you amazed at the phrase ‘friendly French waiter’, no it is not an oxymoron (which actually is the same word in French). If you want to enjoy your time in France, learn a few key phrases starting with Bonjour and merci, practise smiling no matter how fed up you are of lugging your damn suitcase around and when all else fails, drink copious amounts of red wine. Usually works for me.
So the French adventure was over. Two weeks in Normandy and two events went by and now I’m really looking forward to next year. Roll on the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Pick up a little steak at the Castle Howard farm shop
Back in the UK and away from the world of horses and the internet for a while I’ve been remembering what it’s like to be a normal human being. I’ve kicked the online habit relatively easily although my hand occasionally twitches on the Twitter button from an automatic reaction and I just had to keep up with the happenings at Malmo on that fabulous website An Eventful Life. Otherwise I’ve been having lunch with family at Castle Howard (in case that sentence reads as if we own Castle Howard, I have to make it clear that, sadly, we don’t), visiting Bath and hanging out in London.
On the drive from London to Bath we drove past Stonehenge (seen before but still very impressive as you drive over a small incline and bingo, there it is lurking in a very large field) and I caught a glimpse of the White Horse at Westbury as I hopped on a train to Bath for the final part of this journey. Bath is beautiful and lunch at Carluccio’s highly recommended (can you sense a theme here – foodie alert).
Our journey back to London included a quick stop at Lacock – a village used in the filming of the BBC series Pride and Prejudice, Cranford and films including some of the Harry Potters. This is still a real everyday village despite being owned by the National Trust and giving you the strange feeling of having stepped back in time. Acquaintances living in this remarkable village have a fascinating house and garden but some of my favourite things about their Queen Anne house (early 1700’s so please don’t take me to a "Historic Village" in Australia) are the equestrian sculptures by its owner Deborah van der Beek. You can find out more about Deborah's sculpture and garden on her website
Somehow, in the middle of England, Ned Kelly comes to life in Deborah's sculpture
London is currently at its best – bathed in sunshine and I’m in no hurry so life is easy. Thanks to a true Londoner friend with a convertible car and a passion for windswept hair, I am driven around getting views of London I’d forgotten and making friends with cyclists at traffic lights.
Here’s a tip for another great lunch – head to the Festival Hall on the South Bank and try as much as you can on offer from the Real Food Market (check out days/times on their website). Sensational food from all around the world, cheap, full of flavour and great fun – check it out.
It’s hard to believe that last year the horses and riders from around the world were just down the river at Greenwich – what a great time that was. After lunch (or maybe best before) you can hop on the London Eye and see why London is so special, even without a convertible or a horse in sight.
However it is now back to the horse world and the next phase of my eventing trip is about to start. I head to Burghley for five days of eventing as only the British know how. From the relaxed style of the French including all day music and extended lunch hours, it’s now the grandeur and charm of English form and quite a bit of tweed. See you at Burghley ……………..
P.S. In case you were wondering about the song, here it is
