If at first you don't succeed......

Drumming practice update:

Got to the beach this morning at 7.25am with drum and stand and sticks and stool to find the tide well and truly in and no rocky perches available.

There was nothing for it but to trudge along the cliff top path to the next bay. Not a soul in sight and found no rocks but a section of beach beneath the cliffs which was covered with a thick layer of broken shells - no idea why. This layer proved thick enough to support the stool and stand - legs of stool sunk in a bit.

The carpet of shells.

The cliff

The early morning view.

Is that tide coming in?

The empty bay.

This is where the recently finished Viv Albertine book comes in useful. After an incredibly successful session on the beach (could have kept going for hours), I had a humungously awful session this afternoon with the drum pad. It was as if I'd gone back to the level I was at back in April. Utterly dejecting.

But Albertine recounts stories again and again of this kind of regression and it's reassuring to know that such backward steps are not a sign that the whole enterprise of my learning to play the snare drum is doomed from the start. I hope.

Last session on the beach tomorrow as mid-morning we're off down the coast to Andernos-les-Bains where we are staying in a hotel for 4 days - not sure what the drumming possibilities will be there.

*********************************************************************************
Currently listening to:

Hot Chip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last night's dinner:

Fried chicken leg, potatoes and green beans

Preceded by the last of Monsieur Coulon's Vieux Pineau from Oleron

And followed by one of the oldest wines I've drunk for some time.

#################################################################################

Prior to dinner took a final cycle up the hill of darkness to the bright, verdant land of Nirvana.

This field will be ablaze with sun flowers in a few days.

###############################################################################

Then after dinner, the usual walk along the sunset beach.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

Laurie Lee's Memoirs

In this hotel bar in Saujon

Impressive machinery at the bar.

Viv Albertine

Drumming practice update:

Went to my usual perch on the beach this morning only to find it almost submerged - the tide was in.

After a half second hesitation I walked through the water (the sandals will dry later) and climbed the soaking wet rocks to the perch.

Next thought: was the tide coming in or going out? If it was coming in I could be in serious trouble and have to escape leaving the drum behind me to be collected later. An examination of the sandy beach suggested to me that the damp stratum was where the sea had been - past tense - and that it was probably on its way back out. And so it proved.

The lapping.

More lapping.

Tide going out.

This morning's view.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last night's dinner:

Tried the camp site restaurant - pretty good.

Encornet and rice.

View from restaurant.

*********************************************************************************
Currently listening to:

Eels, Eels and more Eels.

Probably as a result of enjoying Viv Albertine's memoirs so much, I've been listening to or humming to myself Eels songs all day.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

As I approach the end of this astonishing book I'm getting sick with worry: what possible book can I get next to match its power?

Then, joy of joys, a book appeared in my Kindle which I had forgotten that I had pre-ordered from Amazon some weeks ago.

I think it should be a match for the Albertine opus.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Miscellany:

Walked passed this very unusual house this morning in a back street of St Georges de Didonne. This would appear to be its dining room.

Then we came across something really unusual, a charity shop - never seen one before in France. And boy was it busy. Sign of the economic times in France.

Then a 45 minutes read of Viv Albertine's book plus a coffee.

 And home for lunch.

Good cop, bad cop.

Having terrible problems on the camp site with internet connections. Everyone is complaining.

I also had a problem with my bike - something went badly wrong with the gears last night when I was visiting my secret land at the top of the hill across from the camp site.

So, turned up at reception this morning to report the bike problem. Only the bad cop receptionist was on duty - damn.

There was an English camper in front of me, white-haired in maroon shorts and a gray t-shirt. He was clutching 3 different Tablets/iPads under his arm; I knew he would be complaining about the internet connection.

"That's 3 days you've been spinning me that line," he said.

"Well, it must be your network's problem," says Bad Cop.

"But it works on none of these devices" - pointing to the clutch under his arm.

"I cannot help you."

He turns away from the desk and says "Ah, fuck off."

I repeat, white-haired, maroon shorts and a gray T-shirt.

"Next!"

"It's about my bike."

"Yes?"

Anyway, she changed the bike with almost a smile.

Some photos before this connection packs up again.

Last night's visit to Nirvana.

This morning's drumming perch.

Vehicles cleaning the beach while I drummed

A passing ferry.

I've got to get back down from here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday, visited the fish market at Royan for last night's dinner:

Maigre plus green beans and potatoes

After dinner walk.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

Astonishing book.

Our heroine has left the Slits (they've finished) and enrolled in the London School of Printing where my father lectured in the 1950s.

The bike with no chains.

Hired a bike as soon as I arrived here on Sunday. From the start, I thought it had a funny action. It wasn't until yesterday that I noticed that the pedals do not seem to be connected to any chains - no idea how it works.

For the last two evenings, my habit has been to take the bike out before dinner and cycle up a long, steep hill across from the entrance to the campsite here at St Georges de Didonne. The road is long and dark, lined by thick trees on both sides and it heads inland away from the sea.

It's chest crushing work pedalling to the top without getting off to walk. But what a reward when one reaches the summit. Suddenly one leaves the darkness of the trees and is faced with a slice of rural France laid out before one on this bright, sunny, green  plateau. One could be anywhere. It has an unreal feel, dreamlike. One feels invisible as if one has entered a parallel universe or a story book.

Can't wait to get back up there this evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last night's dinner:

Chicken in tomato sauce and rice.

The full set up.

Close up of table cloth.

 #################################################################################
After dinner, another amazing sunset.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Currently reading:

This is a very encouraging book for me because it is by a musician that I have a lot of respect for who wanted desperately to play a guitar and against all the odds - no encouragement from anyone; no talent; no musical knowledge etc - did so by dint of sheer determination and practice, practice, practice.

She was the guitarist for the unique 70s band, "The Slits".

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Drumming practice update:

Up early this morning and took my drum down to the bottom of the cliff face again.

View from the drum

 MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Royan:

Visited my favourite church building anywhere, the concrete colossus which is Notre Dame, Royan.

It dominates everywhere in Royan.

Passed this ancient but immaculate Austin Metro as I walked towards the church.

What a monster.

Couldn't fit it all in the picture.

So took a diagonal shot.

Massive inside too.

A double funeral was about to be held and these are the two hearses; different from those in the UK.

Coffee and a read afterwards

Organ grinder across the road.