Simply De Vine

Image from topsir.com

I don't want to jinx it, but I'm shouting it out so the universe can hear. I've been strongly hinting at H to go grape picking before we leave since we'll still be here until September. He nods his head sideways like he's willing to be convinced. There's not a lot of money in it but, I don't mind being paid in food and wine.

Postscript!

Today's the last day of the Tour de France, culminating in a 40km (or so) spell going back and forth from Rivoli to Champs Elysees. The helicopters following the cyclists were hovering near the apartment so we decided to run out and see the tour as it passes by our neighborhood. I was busy washing my unmentionables but I dropped everything and rushed outside. It's not every day you get to see this!

Suddenly, everyone's a journalist.

After weeks of awful weather (it SNOWED last week, and it's supposed to be summer!), the clouds were finally in the mood to cooperate and gave us some sun. A crowd had already formed around the barricade and some people were standing over construction blocks for a better view, but we came just in time. After ten minutes, it was over.

When we got back home the helicopter was beaming lovely aerial shots of Paris. Gawd, this town is beautiful.

Post-postscript!

We had dinner at the house of some friends with a nice view of the street. While parking the scooter, we noticed an old couple leaving stuff on the sidewalk. We decided to investigate and realized they were old video games. We swept up some of them - the Star Wars X-Wing/Tie Fighter game, Tomb Raider and a couple of others. Then our friend O went downstairs to rescue some of the other games.

Minutes later, a woman left some Friends and Ally McBeal VHS tapes, an English tutorial kit in cassette, and some comic books. I lay claim to an English copy of Heavy Metal from 1998. We also learned that these were her ex's old junk. An hour later she threw out (among other things) a big leather overnight bag. A teenage boy beat us to it, and whatever was inside the bag. Another hour passed and an old man took all the VHS tapes. We don't usually trash dive (in fact I feel like we missed out one time because I saw some nice antique chairs in the street; too bad we're moving out soon) but you never know what these things would be worth on E-bay one day.

Still, it would have been extra nice if we got to Hotel de Ville in time for the FNAC concert, because Selah Sue was playing :-\ Dommage!