Alfred N.Muggins Becomes An Honourary Frenchman After Watching The Opening Ceremony Of The Olympics! : Part 2

By David Kirtley

Mon, 19 Aug 2024
  • 335 reads
7 comments
 

1/8/24

    It all took him back to the times when he had been in Paris, and France generally. He listened now to Debussey and Ravel, with his nose emphasized and slightly higher in the air. Why should he care if it was not pop or rock music! If he chose to listen to everything, he would listen to everything, and no culturally lacking, punk or pop fan would ever stop him.

    He suggested that they explore You Tube on their lounge TV to find a rendition of the Offenbach CanCan dance, and indeed they found a couple of different performances. He had not expected his wife’s very enthusiastic reaction towards the CanCan, as she had reputedly performed it in her own house many times in her younger days. But it was to him a welcome enthusiasm, as he too was feeling very orientated to France and everything French at the moment. Unfortunately she said there was no way she was going to attempt the Can Can at the moment as age and certain medical problems of recent years (including her heroic knee replacement).

    He began to formulate the possible plan that he should try to persuade Mrs Muggins to opt for a holiday in France soon, perhaps even next year. They could (unofficially, renew their vows en Paris!) He has heard that it is nice in Nice at most times of the year, and perhaps it is time to once and for all visit the Cannes film festival, even if they are still not making a film of any of his own novels or works yet. One day, maybe? We live in hope!

    Unfortunately Alfred has run out of croissants, but will have to get some more so he can watch more Olympics in satisfaction!

 

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Comments

Submitted by David Kirtley on

Alfred shares his further thoughts on Paris and the Olympics written a day or two after his previous thoughts, enunciated in Part 1. He apologises for not posting them sooner as he wasn't in a great rush initially, and has also just been away on holiday, unfortunately not en France, but (fortunately!) the next best place, without leaving the country! He has been on the English Riviera (which has been Nice!). Unfortunately he effectively missed the end of the Olympics! Oh well. C'est la vie!

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Glad to hear you had a much deserved holiday! I hope you do get to go to France next year

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

Thanks Di Hard. We had a good holiday, as always, but as always it went by too fast. Alfred wishes to go to France next year, but as ever it will actually depend upon whether Mrs Muggins actually wants to do that, or whether she has developed other plans. Alfred may have to accede to going wherever Mrs Muggins and other family members want to go! It could turn out to be a beach resort in Spain, Greece or Turkey, or a caravan park somewhere in the UK. It could even be Timbuctou, although he doubts she will ever let him go there, and Syria, Lebanon and Palestine seem to be completely out of the question sadly!

Submitted by Turlough on

I hope Alfred and his chère épouse will be able to replenish their croissant supply before the paralympics commence in Paris next week.

We're in mourning in our house at the moment due to the expiry in the last few days of legendary French film director Alain Delon. This comes on the back of the sad death of the lovely singer Françoise Hardy. We are thankful that there has been no bad news of Asterix the Gaul who really must be getting on a bit as he made all his films during Roman times.

I'm sorry to bang on about Bulgaria but did you know that the Can Can sort of has it's roots here? The music is from Jacques Offenbach's opera, Orpheus in the Underworld. The cave in which Orpheus lost his beautiful wife Eurydice to Hades, the god of the underworld, is near to the village of Trigrad in Bulgaria's Rodopi Mountains. That region, spreading down to the Aegean and across to Turkey was formerly known as Thrace and the setting for some top notch mythology. It's a beautiful place to visit and the local confectionery is delicious and very cheap. Perhaps Alfred should take his lovely wife there for a holiday sometime. 

Turlough

Submitted by David Kirtley on

The good news is Alfred (and I) have some more croissants back in stock after the holiday in Devon. As I say we did however miss the end of the Olympics, but thanks for reminding us we have the paralympics also to look forward to.

The bad news is that French culture has received a further knock with the passing of two more icons. Alfred is not perhaps quite as culturally French yet as he should by now be, as although they seem familiar faces, he hasn't watched all that many French films, or listened closely to too much French music. More 1960's icons disappearing sadly. Beauty and coolness will remain symptomatic of France nonetheless, he is sure!

Surely the wonderful CanCan cannot be from Bulgaria? was Alfred's first reaction, but he now sees the connection. Those 'Ancient Greek' legends are all over modern Greece, Turkey and the Balkans it seems. Alfred and Mrs Muggins did go to Corfu just a few years ago, and there were plenty of these old legends there! In actual fact Mrs Muggins has been to Bulgaria (in Communist times!?) before she married Alfred with previous husband and family (probably lured by the promise of Thracian gold?) Indeed I think she said she went to Golden Sands on the coast? We will have to check that!

Maybe a return to Bulgaria could be on the cards for Alfred and Mrs Muggins, but surely it cannot be as romantic as France?

Submitted by marandina on

"..he should try to persuade Mrs Muggins to opt for a holiday in France soon, perhaps even next year..." Let us know if Mrs Muggins goes along with it.

"..Unfortunately Alfred has run out of croissants.." and I hope Alfred found more croissants!

 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

As I explained to Di the answer to the question of next year's holiday will inevitably lie with Mrs Muggins, and Alfred's influence may be too weak (He has been wanting to go to Timbuctou for years!) And now Turlough is recommending Bulgaria as an alternative destination. At least wherever he goes next year he now has a renewed croissant supply!