L'ermitage- Mon refuge ("REFUGE" - n.m. lieu où on peut s'abriter)

Whenever......just another update..

2012-01-04T11:05:00.000+01:00

Things are taking longer to sort out than thought, on the health side.
Eternally NEW medicaments - which mainly turn out NOT to be the right onesmean I have to wait again until the correct thing is achieved, tried over a longer period with the hope that nothing unexpected will happen, that there is an improvement, and all this takes time.
I guess I'll just have to wait until things either get better or end, one of the two. Frankly, with the teams of "experts" who occupy themselves with my case, I see no reason at all that the things get better aspect can be applied, but time will tell.

Image by 401K via Flickr

I try to avoid stress, even with all the stress regarding health - Tina Concetta situation (getting the necessary paperwork in France - driving a manual gear car, and all the other minor but annoying things) - plus the buying of new furnitures to arrange the appartment for 2 people and not 1!)
All these things and others, cost stress - which costs the health situation....it's all a snowball.
I try to deal with one situation, the latest being the inheritance issue of Tina Concetta MARZOCCA who has been declared by me to be my heir - papers sealed and signed, and witnessed - now it's a question of whether my last wishes will be respected, which is why I'm mentioning it HERE. Anybody who feels they could help Tina Concetta MARZOCCA in these circumstances is most welcome and requested to contact her on FaceBook or at: t.marzocca@gmail.com - or since recently, as a comment at: http://amarzoccaseurope.blogspot.com/
We're not talking about a lot of money, but with luck, sufficient for her to be able to take time for decisions, and for her to be able to install herself wherever she chooses except the Bahamas or Bermuda.....maybe where she already is - the South of France - will do her!

Image via Wikipedia

English...wow...just before Christmas!

2011-12-12T11:41:00.002+01:00

Still struggling with a little ill health, mr le marquis will take advantage of the period, and wish you all a Happy Christmas and Good New Year, hoping to be back to full forces in 2012.

Have a nice time......

In parting, here is a little thing regarding the English language.....

*********************************

Asylum for the verbally Insane

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes

But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

yet the plural of moose should never be meese

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,

Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men

Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,

and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,

Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,

and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of breathren,

But though we say mother, we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in

eggplant nor ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,

we find quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,

and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,

grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham.

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid

of all but one of them what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why don't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English

should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

We ship by truck but send cargo by ship

We have noses that run and feet that smell. And how can a slim chance

and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your

house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form

by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

So if father is pop, how come mother isn't mop?

And that is just the beginning - even though this is the end.

Everything works out in the end, If it hasn't worked out,

it's not the end.

(author unknown)

Unknown maybe, but damned intelligent!

2011-11-28T15:16:00.001+01:00

Due to illness and recuperation, mr le marquis doubts whether he will be capable of sending you any articles for a while....He hope at least for Christmas - something......Try this whilst waiting.....click on the link.....something else I'll probably never do again......

Cause maladie et récupération, mr le marquis ne sera pas capable de mettre des articles pendant quelques temps. J’espère avant Noel d’être capable mettre au moins quelque choses vous souhaitez "Bonne Fêtes".....

Jusqu’à la........essayez ceci......

http://www.flyovergreen.com/golf-club-montpellier-massane/

A Tribute

2011-10-31T23:30:00.000+01:00

The 1st of November, every year, is the day that Central Europeans pay their respects and thanks to departed members of their families and communities.
It is called "All Saints Day" and is not restricted to one, or indeed any, particular Religious belief.......

Ian W. Mitchell - Vauvert, France - November 2011

They know what to do with the Euro...!

2011-10-24T18:36:00.000+02:00

Image via Wikipedia

Ah yes.....all these UK experts who know all about it........

Ah oui - ces experts Britannique.....

On 01 January 2000 GB£1 bought €1.60

On 24 October 2011 GB£1 bought €1.15

Go figger......... Vous avez compris.....?

STILL VALID....even more so now than then!

2011-09-26T11:22:00.000+02:00

Embarrassed! - (Well - not really!)

For quite some time now, I've been a little bit embarassed at the situation in UK.
Although I have very little, or rather nothing, to do with the place, I would have to be blind and deaf not to notice the influence of certain people in all aspects of daily life in that country called "a green and pleasant land" - England.
Seems that the English have now finally woken up to the fact that they are a part of the UK, and not vice-versa!
And.......
It seems they don't like it!

Lots of mutterings are going on about another one of those "United Kingdoms'' -
A little place, that up till recently had to be content with being a sort of
Englishman's Castle, a place where the Englishman' dreams came true, where he could drain off all natural resources, and pour the results into his own coffers, and from there - down the sink!
A place where the natural inhabitants were considered to be "fair game" for anyone who wandered north of Carlisle!
Scotland - The Brave!
Scotland of the "Gay Gordons" ...... home of Haggis and Robert Burns...... of "wee timid wicked beasties"..... of North Sea Oil (all gone now, apparantly) - of Single Malt.....of Salmon only to be dreamt about....of lobsters, oysters......
Scotland has been awoken, and by purely peaceful means, has got around to seeing it's own Parliament installed, with its own "President" - PM - Chairman, or whatever you wish to call it.
And this has got up the neighbour's nose!
Suddenly Scottish men and women and childrens are not obliged to obey laws and rules passed by people who live hundreds of miles away, and many of whom have never crossed the Border!
And they like it!
Suddenly the Scots are getting free medecines which the English have to pay for, and other treatments for "free" which the English grudgingly pay up for!
Worst of all, for the English, is the fact that wherever they look in their "green and pleasant" land, all they can see - in charge and running their place, are indeed SCOTSMEN and SCOTSWOMEN!
I understand that even the ex-PM, Tony Blair, was of Scottish origins, and I'm not even going to start making a list of Scotspeople in England or UK who are household names, worldwide, in all aspects of public life.
This is a "notebook" article, and "notebook" wouldn't be large enough to take it all!

English-Scottish points of view

I do, however, have a suggestion to make to the envious English (and knowing them as I do, they won't like that one little bit) - Why not do the same?
You could have Brucie Forthsythe as PM (if you'd started earlier, you could even have had Ken Dodd, or Jimmy Saville) or you could simply name the Queen as PM, or one of the Princes.They must have enough clout to get things rolling!
(Hang on - they've all got Scottish blood, haven't they?)
Anyway, I'm sure you'll be able to find somebody of English blood - somewhere!
Only problem may be, of course, finding enough qualified people of English blood to run all the necessary things, like Health Services, London Transport, Wastebin emptiers etc, you know - all those jobs no English person in their right minds would ever consider doing!
On the whole, I think I'll just stay here, at least until I need a free room in a Nursing Home!
(I'm sure there are many of you, who will read this, and say - He needs that room RIGHT NOW - Maybe, but MINE will be at least FREE OF CHARGE!)

30600, Vauvert, France. October 2007.

as one says..........

2011-09-08T19:10:00.002+02:00

Juste pour vous dire....!

2011-08-25T09:55:00.003+02:00

Ah oui - il fait chaude, même la nuit j'en ai au tour de 30C, surtout dans la chambre. Comme locataire - pas question de percer des trous dans les murs......
Donc.....allez acheter un "clim mobile".......J'ai acheté celui vous voyez en haut, avec télécommande...."silencieux" ......bien bonne on dit, sauf.......
a. La livraison est passée comme ceci....Livreur arrive....ne sonne pas - laisse un "avis de passage" - dépose l'article (qui pesée 24 kilos) au bureau de poste, et s'en va, probablement a la plage! Quelle service, payante, bien sur, par CHRONOPOST......! Ce n'est pas la première fois que CHRONOPOST ont fait la même chose, mais c'est le dernier.

b. Téléphone au centrale de CHRONOPOST .....attendes 15 minutes (payante, bien sur) et finalement on me demande le numéro d'avis du passage. Impossible le lire...le livreur n'a jamais fait attention a l’école, donc pas de possibilité tracer le colis, mais s'il l’a laisser au Bureau de Poste, je suis obligé aller le chercher et transporter, moi même - malgré le fait que j'ai payé extra pour la livraison CHEZ MOI - a mon adresse! La plage est plus importante - après tout....

c. Comment faire transporter ce colis de plus que 20 kilos, sans voiture, a pied....et comme cardiaque?
"Pas notre problème"....CHRONOPOST......!

c. Je vais, a pied, avec mon caddy des courses, et dans le chaleur de 34C.......J'arrive de mettre ce colis sur mon caddy, et je repars - je suis devenu "livreur pour CHRONOPOST" - sans salaire.
Sur le chemin, je fait la pause - devant le cabinet de mon médecin, pour le cas que je tombe dans les pommes, et puis encore devant l’entrée du Pharmacie j'utilise....pour le cas ou.....

Merci CHRONOPOST...... j'appelle cela rien d'autre que

.... J’espère votre livreur est passé quelques

heures de bonheur.......... et avec un peu de chance il va développer une belle maladie - comme le chômage!
Pour "Mr Gooddeal", Je n'ai pas fait le "good deal", car non simplement on a eu triche sur la livraison, mais également sur "la silence" d'un appareille...qui n'est autre que l'avion de chasse de l’Armée de l'air Français, qui ne passe pas, mais reste dans la chambre!
Qu'est-ce que on dors bien.....
maintenant cette machin de merde se trouve dans le salon, pour ennuyer les gens que j'ai pas voulu inviter....et CHRONOPOST et Mr Gooddeal ont perdu encore un client!

*************
Vauvert, France - Aout 2011

Cholestérol : mangez des oeufs ! - Medisite : Pourquoi vous avez droit aux oeufs

2011-08-23T11:16:00.000+02:00

...et pendant des années on m'a dit....CARDIAQUE....? Alors - pas des oeufs....quelle non-sens semble-t-il....

En fait, pendant des recherches, j'ai trouvé l'histoire....ce n’était qu'un "erreur de frappe" par la Secrétaire qui devrait taper la report sur l’enquête sur les oeufs... Au lieu de taper "2.8" milligrammes des Cholestérols, elle tapait "28" - simple erreur d'omission, mais cela faisait la UNE des journaux..... après - corrigée, il ne faisait pas la UNE..........!

DONC:

Cholestérol : mangez des oeufs ! - Medisite : Pourquoi vous avez droit aux oeufs

logical thinking....!

2011-08-19T12:45:00.001+02:00

Problem is there aren't many of us who think like this....

Intéressante.......ces gens la....

2011-08-14T09:15:00.002+02:00

En Français..."Les mauvaise Ami(e)s sont facile a trouver", et il faut le dire....c'est vrai - surtout en France!
En particulier les gens qui n'ont pas le courage d'annoncer ouvertement qu’Ils/Elles s'éloignent des "Amies" sur des programmes "Sociale" comme Facebook, car ils/elles ont peur que "la famille" ne seront pas contente... Ils/Elles se prennent pour qui....?
Des gens, autrement connus comme "Les petite pestes"....arrogante, égoïste, pleine de "soi-même", incapable de tenir des relations avec des autres, même leur "partenaires", incapable de créer le moindre choses - incapable de l'art de conversation, sauf si la thème s'agit d'eux-même! Si le monde ne tourne pas au tour d'eux...c'est la catastrophe.....
...Et puis, bien sur - les autres qui suivent ces "petite-pestes" souvent car c'est plus facile, et "la famille" sera contente - on est restée dans le "Clan"....
Voici comment elles passent leur vie.....excitante...non?

Des petites gens, dans un grande monde, des gens qui n'ont rien fait et qui ne feront rien non plus - jusqu’au jour qu'elles rendent compte que leur vie est en train de se terminer......Jamais voyager, la manque de caractère et du savoir-vivre, manque de confiance en soi-même....ignorance..manque d'intelligence....peur des autres.....
Quelques choses est différente....?
Faut se moquer de cela.....c'est la seule façon se défendre contre tous et toutes...
Ben.....Au revoir et merci de vous en aller ennuyer des autres.......!

...J'ai une vie a mener...donc..

May I....? Je peux....? Darf Ich....?

2011-08-05T20:07:00.002+02:00

...Once a year.......? That's all... May I allow myself the luxury of a little time off?

Une fois par an....? Pas plus......Est-ce que je peux me permettre quelques jours de vacances.......?

Einmal im Jahr....? Nicht mehr....Darf Ich Mich einige Tagen Urlaub erlauben.......?

I'll be back in......Je sera de retour.....Ich werde wieder dar sein.......

SEPTEMBER 2011 - SEPTEMBRE 2011 -

Bonne Vacances.....Have a nice time......Schonen Urlaubstagen

iwmpop (mrlemarquis)

Google search-"iwmpop" - "mrlemarquis"
http://www.marquisdugalipot.blogspot.com

Facebook: Ian Mitchell -Twitter: Mr le Marquis

(iwmpop@gmail.com) Tel: (+ 0033 4 3008 5056

(en France: 0430085056)

An auto biography beginning.

2011-08-01T08:13:00.001+02:00

https://sites.google.com/site/ianwmitchellswebsite/a-biography-part-1

An extract.......

Golf of course -

Being brought up in the Scotland of the period did have its advantages. To make up for the damp climate, the damp – no – the WET walls inside the houses, the charms of breaking the ice covering your face washing water in the morning, the lack of money, the lack of food, the lack of transport (everything was done on foot, and lucky was the guy who had a bike) and as a “wee bairn”, I had to learn what these advantages were, how to use them, to stay reasonably alive.
One of the things I learnt at a very early age was how to get on the golf course (just round the corner from our later house) without being seen, and pinching the balls from the green, only to sell them back later to the other golfers, at the entrance to the Golf Club, one halfpence a ball if it was brand new, or 6 pence for the baker’s dozen!
(As I recall it was a clever, helpful, rich golfer who taught us about baker’s dozens, which according to him were always 14!)
Now, in later life, and having played a little golf, I feel a little bit ashamed of having done this, not for the golfer (he could afford it) but for the fact that the shot had/could have been the best he had made in the 18 holes.
Incidentally, I never got caught!
We had a system on the 13th hole, where the golfer couldn’t see the green from the tee (it was a par 3), so we had all the time in the world to run out, grab, and disappear!
Now and then, because we suspected that it wasn’t right, we would put the ball into the hole!
How many members of the “hole-in-one club” did we promote?
This all stopped when my school-friend decided to put all three of the tee shots into the hole!
I deemed it preferable to avoid that particular hole for a while - my friend didn't, and he got belted - again!

Fwd: Security and stuff.....

2011-07-28T08:45:00.001+02:00

It's a shame that because of a few unscrupulous Companies and people life is made so difficult. When these spammers are found, it will be expensive for them....! That's a promise..!

Dommage que la vie est rendu si difficile par quelques Compagnies et gens avec peu de scrupule. Une fois trouvée, cela va revenir très chère pour eux.....!

C'est promis!

Schade das das leben so schwierig gemacht ist durch einige Gesellschaften und Leute ohne Skrupel. Wenn Sie ausfindig gemach worden sind wird das sehr teuer fur sie werden.....! Versprochen!

About me....."iwmpop" - Mr le Marquis du Galipot....

2011-07-10T10:27:00.001+02:00

Since I was busily sending this to someone else, I thought - there being nothing to hide - that I could equally well publish it on selected Weblogsites.....so here you are!
**************

about me.

Here are some details on the author of these pages!

Born in Paisley in Scotland, in October 1946, the second of three children of a Protestant minister, Ian W. Mitchell had a relatively busy childhood!

His parents, forced to follow the call of God, changed often their homes in Britain, so he had to change, even schools, friends etc. .. !

School (semi-public school in London) was eventually followed by entry into the service of Her Majesty, that is, the British army.

For years he was stationed in a place called Detmold in Germany, then Berlin (West) and elsewhere, he was finally able to use his knowledge of the language of Moliere (a French poet and playwright) when his Regiment (Royal Dragoons - later the Blues & Royals) was sent in 1966 to the South of France to the Camp Larzac , in the Aveyron, a small region of France.

He served as liaison between the British and the French (military and civilian) in several areas, particularly for the purchase of local fresh produce for the Regiment (circa 500 people!)

A very informative period in his life!

Selected as "Liaison Officer" he was entitled to stay permanently (ie "all the year") at Camp Larzac, thus independent of the Regiment.

This required a "commitment" to the "Foreign Legion" making him eligible for entry to military installations for his work.

He stayed a soldier of Her Majesty but was at the same time a "Legionnaire", thankfully without the duties of a Legionnaire...!

This commitment lasted 2 years before the General de Gaulle took France out of NATO .

He then returned to his regiment stationed in Detmold, Germany.

After a few weeks, a new challenge presented itself, and he was sent to Berlin (West) at the time divided into four sectors, British / French / American and Russian.

He was still used as a link between French forces and British, often requested by the Americans, and also the German services.

He ended his commitment to Her Majesty's armed forces in Berlin in 1973, and returned with his wife to London, England both as Civil Servants in London.

After a year or so, he received a call to return to Germany, this time as a civilian attached to the Military as a liaison in Berlin ( West).

With his wife, he remained in Berlin until the year 1978, and then took the military retirement offered by authorities.

For details on this period it will not be possible for him to give details until the year 2028, and then you may request them, by letter to the Minister of Defence, London!

After his return, he served again in England, London, as an official at the Central Government, and then - change of direction and meaning of life in Britain:

He decided to absolve a period of 3 years qualifying as a Professional Caterer (including Cuisine, Wine, Service, Accounting ... etc.).

After short stays on several continents the couple finally installed themselves in Bavaria, southern Germany, in a region called Allgau.

He was retired, and used his knowledge of the German language by becoming a part time "Skilehrer" (Ski instructor) for British tourist groups and American / French groups, or sometimes other nationalities (I remember a Japanese group who spoke English, for example!)

During this time, relations with the South of France had been kept up, with the installation of a small caravan, and then a mobile home (trailer home) on a private plot, purchased by himself and his wife, close to the Thau lagoon, well known for it's wines and oyster/mussel production.

The idea was to take their final retirement, after the retirement of his wife - in that area.

Unfortunately, the wife of Ian W. Mitchell - KATHLEEN ODELL-MITCHELL - died in 1992 of cancer.

After this event, and after a first heart attack, he moved permanently to the south of France, settled in a place called Castries, then a place called Perols, in the the Region called the Herault.

After some years, he "re-arranged" his life, leaving the Camping / Hotel way of living, and went to install himself in a town called Vauvert, in the Region called "The Gard", where he lived, with his cat named "Granite de l'Oasis "(see photo and Picasa Web Photos link). Here it is - if it works! My photo albums on the Internet (all of 'em) (just click and choose)

He had surgery for a triple heart bypass in February 2006, and with a relatively stable health, and after a very, very busy life, he tried to pass a quiet life - not easy these days!

In 2007 to 2008, after several disappointments, he decided to take things in hand, and thoroughly cleaned his "contacts" - "friends" - and other useless things in his life.

Once you narrowly miss death, you love trying to live what remains, fully - in your own way - without those useless attachments.

He was happy now to wait for the reunion with his wife, to live peacefully but fully- if they let me do so ......until the fateful day, quite recently in 2010 when he met a younger lady called Tina Concetta MARZOCCA - and everything changed!

The future, possibly short, possibly long, awaits us - and we are both looking forward to attacking all the problems it will present, but also of enjoying it.

Ian W. Mitchell (mr le Marquis) - Vauvert,France - June 2011

*************

Google search-"iwmpop" - "mrlemarquis"

http://www.marquisdugalipot.blogspot.com

Facebook: Ian Mitchell -Twitter: Mr le Marquis
(iwmpop@gmail.com) Tel: (+ 0033 4 3008 5056
(en France: 0430085056)

Tian Entreprises will be launched in 2012....watch out for it!

a picture- only for you - and everybody else!

2011-07-09T08:17:00.001+02:00

It's a great day.....The sun is shing.....it's a totally special
person's birthday.....
21 again.....
I'm looking forward to another 50 years, at least, together - to
explore Europe and maybe the World.
and.....that's why I'm sharing this with you all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Tina Concetta Marzocca-........!

Bugs..Espionage..Phishing..

2011-07-03T20:38:00.001+02:00

...Most awfully sorry...through a fault of my own making, a couple of "publicity" things have been able to insert themselves in a couple of posts on 2 blogs. They come from a thing called "Head & Shoulders" which I understood to be a serious merchandising group. I have corrected the fault.

Désolée - par ma propre faute, une groupe "Head & Shoulders" sont arrivées de mettre des postes sur 2 de mes "Blogspots". J'ai corrigé les fautes et j'espère ceci n'arrivera plus.

Bonne fin du Weekend!

Google search-"iwmpop" - "mrlemarquis"
http://www.marquisdugalipot.blogspot.com
Facebook: Ian Mitchell -Twitter: Mr le Marquis
(iwmpop@gmail.com) Tel: (+ 0033 4 3008 5056

(en France: 0430085056)

Once upon a time....again!

2011-06-27T09:03:00.000+02:00

https://sites.google.com/site/ianwmitchellswebsite/london-many-years-ago/hungerford-bridge

‎Hungerford Bridge (Part II).

In my days, it wasn't like this.

As I recall, I and my mentor, Bill, had partaken of the care and attentions given by George, the waiter, in Gordon's (Green Door) Wine Bar, lieu of Rudyard Kipling and others, and we had planned to cross the Bridge, with our nicely camouflaged bottle of Rich Bual Madeira, variety 'Good Company' dangling from our hands, when it occurred to us that such open invitations to muggers and other stealthy personnages, should be avoided.It was winter, and the darkness was intense, the bridge being lit only by weak lanterns, Jack-the-ripper-London style, every 100 yards or so, but our devotion to the reader of today (some 45-50 years later) was such, that we risked it.
In fact, being two helped a great deal, and the real problem wasn't the Bridge itself, but the passage up the narrow turning stone stairs from Charing Cross U-ground Station, to the actual start of the Bridge. This was unlit, and I recall thinking (the first time I used them) that I would NEVER have even found them on my own, much less have mounted them.
I often wondered, too, what the poor people coming the other way were thinking, when they heard the approach noises of someone - or something. These stairs went round in circles, so one only had an overview of about 4-5 stairs at a time, and that overview was in a very strange, shadowy light.
One could hear everything, but see nothing.
After some 25-30 of these stairs, one stepped out onto a small platform, illuminated by a fog-lamp style lantern, but one never looked at that, for one was ON the Bridge - presented with a whole new world- water, river, lights reflected, traffic lights and car lights on the bridges up and down stream, lights on barges going, to and from - who knew where in the world, carrying goods and supplies, to and from, everywhere in the world, lights and noises of 'another place'.
These things were taken in avidly, every time one crossed the bridge, but the first thing one saw was an enormous, immense construction, of glass and metal, lit up tremendously, the reflections in the river adding to the charm and awesome beauty of the thing.
This was the goal - "The Royal Festival Hall."
On this particular occasion, only to the wine bar the Festival Hall counted as it's own, but often to Concerts, or even a meal and a concert, in it's own restaurant.
It was Hungerford Bridge which took us there.
This was a magical Bridge, going from one epoch to another, from the world of Pepys, Kipling and others, to the world of Haendel, Bach and Mozart, passing by such places I, as a young scottish laddy, had never heard of before - Madeira, Bordeaux, Champagne, Jerez, Rhein and Mosel, Chianti, and many, many others, all of which I was to visit and occasionally be "gainfully" employed in later in life.
Little did I know the large, predominant role they all would eventually play in my life, and that of my later wife too.
Thanks to the Bridge and my mentor, I think I can say that neither of us regretted one instant our choices made.
Yes, we could both have stayed Civil Servants, in which case my wife would probably still be alive, and we would certainly be rich, with houses, flats,holidays etc. In fact, with our language ability, we would probably be in Brussels as "eurocrats" and already multi-millionaires....but we would not have had the experiences, both good and bad.
The crossing of the Bridge was always a longish event.
We often had to stop and stare at a new sight, different from the last time, or stop and seek shelter somewhere, from the smoke, steam and cinders of the thundering monsters which passed at about 10 feet distance.
Inevitably holes were burnt in overcoats, suits, jackets,trousers, but it was all part of the game.
These were, after all, the trains which could take us (via Victoria, of course) to destinations, as yet unheard of, and as yet unknown.
Nowadays, all and sundry quail their way to airports, and disappear (sometimes never to be seen again) into the clouds, for 14 days.
Gone are the deliciously bad quality meals in the train's "restaurant" car, watching the country side pass bye - France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal etc, each train with it's own un-equalled, internationally 'bad quality' restaurant car, bill of fayre. Service not included!
All this was Hungerford Bridge, not only for a wee Scots laddy, but for his mentor and, I suspect, for many others.
What time was there to think about the darkish, murky waters of the Thames passing under one's feet - how many corpses had it swallowed up, how many 'dastardly deeds' had it covered up?
No time, for we had arrived at the other side, and were already descending the circular stairs on the South Bank, much larger, open to the air and well lit, and approached this awesome palace of light - the Royal Festival Hall.
The entrance to the whole place was really on the other (front) side, but as is so often the case in life (as I found out later) the back entrances are often, if not always, more important and more interesting, and it was, indeed, by the back entrance that one had immediate access to the wine-bar and Restaurant area, with it's view over the river Thames, and in summer (that one day in the year!) to it's large terrassed area.
Another side/back door to the world at large - to everything - to traditions,countries, languages.........
So we arrived, my mentor and I - our bottle, camouflaged under our arms - to be met by our favourite waiter, and his standard question:-

"How's George - OK?"

In those days, London really was a village.

END OF PART II.

In the IIIrd, and last part, come with me, back over to Charing

Cross, come up the Duke Street, stopping off at the

Northumberland Arms (I think it was called), and finally arriving

at Trafalgar Square, and Lyons Corner House paradise.

Of course - whilst your waiting, You could go and do the tour

yourself....

C'est moi ou quoi....?

2011-06-24T11:06:00.000+02:00

..Ce dernier temps, j'ai eu (et j'en ai toujours) des obligations de contacter plusieurs sources d'Administration dans des Pays Européen et ailleurs. Partout j’étais obligé d'accepter au mieux la manque d'information, au pire une manque de civilité et complète indifference des employées, Publique ou autre.Peut être pour les raisons données dans l'image en haut!
Ma question est relativement simple.....existe-t-il encore des gens qui veulent faire leur travaille correctement?
Soit des Banques qui regardent les clients comme des imbéciles, ou des Administrations locale ou ailleurs qui ne comprennent pas ça que vous demandez.... Même les Supermarchés qui nous attirons avec des promesses des "bonnes affaires" - qui ne sont presque jamais présenté, et des employées qui nous regardent - étonnée - si nous racontons l'histoire et les lois des publicités mensongère! ...Carrefour n'est qu'un seul parmi beaucoup.....Lisez vous même....
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publicit%C3%A9_mensong%C3%A8re
Chez les Administrations partout, et les Banques, les périodes d'attente simplement d'obtenir une formulaire a remplir et renvoyer sont si longues que on peut croire qu'ils marchent sur la principe "d'ici la - ils vont avoir plus besoin....." ....."occupée....!" Parfois des promesses mais pas de programme......Ah bon...mais quand...?
Faut changer des chose....semble-t-il, mais si on pouvait commencer chez les responsables, mais - bien sur nous savons tous et toutes que c'est la faute des machines et des appareilles.....donc... nous allons suivre les conseilles offerts...
et - en plus - Nous allons dire "MERCI.....!"
***************
Juin 2011

L'ermitage- Mon refuge ("REFUGE" - n.m. lieu où on peut s'abriter)

Whenever......just another update..

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"How's George - OK?"

C'est moi ou quoi....?