Allons enfants!

Today I finally finished a long job that has been occupying my time for several weeks now. I’m quite relieved of course, but I currently have no other work in the pipeline so effectively, I’m unemployed. What’s to be done? I’ve been spending like a lunatic recently, and I also have a massive & crippling tax bill to pay so not only am I unemployed, but I'm penniless.

Oh well, such are the joys of being self-employed I suppose. I must now turn my attention to earning some cash. I suppose I could go on the streets and sell the Big Issue (except that I don’t have a dog); I could become an Alarm System Guy (but it’s just taken me over half an hour to assemble a simple piece of exercise kit that I bought recently, so I don’t think I’m cut out for screwing and fixing); or perhaps I should try doing some writing instead. Yes, the time has come to stop talking about it. The time has come to take action and to do it instead. The time my friends, the time has come.

Ho hum [idly taps his fingers]. Oh, is that the dishwasher that needs emptying? Or perhaps I should carry the bottles and cans down to the recycling bin? Maybe those windows could do with a clean? What about my Leaning Tower of Pisa pile of ironing – it won’t do itself, will it? And I guess I really should do something about the state of my oven. On the other hand, I haven’t been to the gym for a while, so I think it’s really quite important that I pay a visit immediately. And then I could have a swim. Why is it I wonder, that when I’m all ready to sit down to write, there are just too many distractions out there. Oh no, I think I hear the call of the pub!

That Sarkozy fella (le Président de France) is at it again. He has announced that he will close down France24’s English-speaking & Arab-speaking sections because there is “no way a state-owned broadcaster should be broadcasting in anything but French” (he didn’t make this announcement in English by the way – I’ve translated it). Who is he kidding? Doesn’t he want France’s flagship news provider to be broadcasting to the whole world? Well okay, if he only wants people inside France and North Africa to be watching & listening, then that’s his choice I suppose. But who does he think contributes most of the stories for his newsroom? French-speaking correspondents? Do they heck-as-like. Come off it Sarkozy – la belle langue lost its battle to be the lingua franca decades ago and no amount of your xenophobic buffoonery will change that I’m afraid. Poor man.

Maybe I ought to write him a letter? At least I’d be writing something. Now, what’s the correct French expression for "deluded fool...."?

Anyway, I’m off to London tomorrow to celebrate both of my daughters’ birthdays. I’m also anticipating a bit of an adventure there, but I’ll let you know about that when I get back.

Toodle pip, old loves!