Yes, thanks for asking, I had a lovely time. It was only a couple of days, but a very pleasant interlude. Enjoyed meals I didn't have to cook or clear away, relived my not-especially-misspent youth (though my mother would probably dispute that) as we watched a show based on 1960s music, relaxed in the spa in 90 degrees of heat to acclimatize myself for next week's French sunshine, and, most important of all, read two books.
And as of a week on Sunday, while my good friend Chris Nickson fills this slot, for which I'm very grateful, I'll be doing much the same in France. No spa, and I'll probably be responsible for some of the meals, but somehow even food shopping is more fun when the product labels and deli choices are in a different language. And there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance as well. I'll try not to go AWOL next Thursday, but if I do, please forgive me; I'll be packing, and finishing up those last-minute jobs I'd rather not come home to after two weeks of doing nothing in particular.
So, since I'm off to France, I thought I'd offer my loyal reader(s) a taste of it as well, in book form. I'm not a fan of translated fiction, so both series I'm about to highlight are written in English – but both authors clearly know their chosen corners of France so well, and are such ardent Francophiles, that reading their books is almost as good as visiting for myself. Which I may very well do, another year.
The first is Martin Walker's wonderful Bruno series. Bruno is chief of police in a small, bustling village in the Dordogne. He's a typical country policeman who would rather hunt for truffles than solve crime, but it turns out he's much better at the solving crime part than many of the city types who get involved in his cases. He's also a great cook; I'm sure I've mentioned his method of cooking steak in previous posts. He puts it on the barbecue and sings a verse of the Marseillaise, turns it over and sings it again. He runs the local kids' football team, turns a blind eye when it comes to some of the more drastic health and safety legislation imposed on local food producers, and knows exactly where to go for the best wine.
The second is Peter May's Enzo McLeod series. Enzo is a forensic expert whose day job is running a university department in Toulouse, but somehow he keeps getting entangled in mysteries in other parts of France. He lives close to Cahors, which is one of my favourite French cities, not least because the best red wine in the world is made around there.
Both Bruno and Enzo are great characters with complex personal lives and backstories. I won't go into detail; I'll leave all that for you to discover. And if you make that discovery in the next few weeks, spare me a thought. I may be here as usual next Thursday, but if I'm not – see you in September.
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