On Saturday, I drove into central London for a wedding at the Foundling Museum, in Brunswick Square. (It took days to try and register my French-registered car for the congestion charge and I’m still not sure I was successful. I figure they’ll find me if they want some money. I […]
cocktails
11 posts
Moving to the UK was easy, but not without stress points. I’ve moved countries before — a few times — but France was home for the last 15 years. The country is familiar, obviously, but changing absolutely everything around you has quite an impact. And launching a new business — […]
My knowledge when I wrote this post, claiming a wedding near Montauban was the furthest south I was going this summer, was incomplete. I was, in fact, going much further south than that. Beyond Carcassonne, to Chateau Rieutort, near Montpellier. If you don’t know Carcassonne (or the excellent board game […]
On Saturday, I drove about 20 minutes away for the wedding of Harriet and Leo at Chateau le Tour. Rain had been threatening this long-awaited day for a couple of weeks. And it was still spitting during the morning, as I set my keyboard up for the wedding ceremony. Bravely, […]
I think this is a first for me: three gigs in a row with varied set lists. A nice, easy one to start with – with SouthWest, playing our second public gig of the season in Cadouin. Here’s a shot from after we finished… The following evening, a piano & […]
On Saturday, I went east for a wedding at Chateau du Doux. I’m now setting up a bit earlier than I did at the start of the season, which gives me a bit more time to socialise and settle in. It also means, even when I’m not scheduled to play, […]
Last Saturday saw me drive 3.5 hours south to Chateau la Commanderie. (This is the furthest south I’m going in 2022 – to my knowledge.) I got there three hours before I was due to play, just to be on the safe side. Which meant there was plenty of time […]
On Sunday, I drove through the rain (again – which wasn’t falling only on the plain) to Chateau de la Couronne. Matt and Emma (my first Olympian bride!) had waited so long for this day that they were joined by their new baby! And Reggie, the most well-behaved (and photogenic) […]
Last Saturday saw a return to Chateau La Durantie, in the north of the Dordogne. It’s an absolutely spectacular venue – a gorgeous, honey coloured stone mansion with palatial rooms and extensive grounds. This time, it wasn’t an Irish wedding – it was an Irish/British affair. Before the evening party […]
Once in a blue moon, you get to play a gig that doesn’t involve hours of driving home after packing up. Last Wednesday was just such a night. Domaine de la Fauconnie is new to me and the band. But it’s absolutely perfect, in so many ways. Ceremony, cocktails and […]
I was delighted to witness – and play for – the marriage of George and Andrew yesterday, up at the Chateau de la Couronne. They asked for a wedding version of “Can’t help falling in love”, which I ripped off from this video. And then I played for drinks in […]