A Good Start To The Day

I got up reluctantly. It was my turn for the school run. It was 6.30am and I was suffering from a bad night’s sleep caused by my mind darting off in all directions and the new duvet cover, which I am still getting used to. Whoever would think of attaching small jewel-like things hanging off of tassels to the sides and the end of a duvet cover? Still, as J is a doing an interior design course, who am I to question her judgement. I just hope I don’t swallow any of these ‘jewels’ during the night! Maybe that’s why they are on tassels so that if I do swallow some J can simply pull them back out again! If she does it properly she might not even wake me up.

Nevertheless, it was my parental duty to drag my excruciatingly painful back out of bed and whilst I moped around waiting for the sprogs to climb the stairs arguing and bickering like two badly behaved terriers, I popped out onto the terrace to see what sort of day it was going to be.  It looked good (see picture). The sun was just lifting off the Med before it climbed into the sky,. There were a few clouds over the sea but over land it was cloudless – my spirits rose. It must’ve been 70 degrees yesterday so hopefully today would be the same.

The sprogs arrived in the kitchen asking the usual questions and making the usual demands. ‘What’s for breakfast’. ‘Make sure my egg is not runny’. ‘Do I have to wear a jacket?’. ‘Are YOU taking us to the bus?’, which was an incredibly stupid question because J never rises before noon and even then, not if the ambient temperature outside is less than 75 degrees. Nevertheless, it was light hearted banter and I was in a good mood.

Breakfast over (lightly fried pitta bread with a fried egg on top – their French friends would be appalled!), we climbed into the car and we set off on the short drive downhill to the bus stop. We passed the horses who have just had the most beautiful foal and then stopped at the road which climbs to the top of the mountain. Reluctantly, we turned downhill instead of taking the high road to Les Courmettes and drove slowly trying to let the rising sun catch us up and beat us to the next corner, but all too soon we were at the main road. I had decided this particular morning to actually cross the road in the car and sit at the bus stop so Guy and Kitty could benefit from the now warmed-up car. I looked both ways (as you do) and saw a car coming out of a branch road to my right. It stopped at the junction which is partly hidden by a house which occupies the apex of the corner so there was nothing I could do to wave them on or signal that I was happy to wait, which I was. There was also no point in me signalling as I was going straight across. So we both sat there.

After a few seconds the small white Citroen dashed into the main road, turned immediately left and came up beside me. Inside was this woman, probably about 30 ish and obviously French cause I could see her nicotine stained teeth and smell the garlic through two sets of windows, and she gave me the most withering look. Now normally I would have made some sort of gesture which would have would her up even more, but today I just looked at her, smiled and I hoped what was going through my mind would be communicated to her…which was. ‘Listen darling. I know my hair’s a mess but I’ll be able to go home and comb it. On the other hand you are soooo ugly and there’s not a lot you can do about it………’. She knew. She knew. She drove off showing more stained teeth and that was that. We waited for the bus which came along at precisely 7.30.

As I drove home, I passed the foal again which was nuzzling into its mother. The sun was now slightly higher and was warming my face through the windscreen. I looked forward to getting back into bed and watching Breakfast TV. The day was indeed going to be good.

As I rounded a particularly bad bend on the single-track road which is not far from the house, I slowed because all sorts of maniacs speed round it, totally blind.  Just as well, because the ugly woman with the white Citroen screamed round it. As she sped passed, I smiled again. She grimaced again.

It was going to be a good day for me. For her on the other hand, I couldn’t have cared less.