I arrived back in France yesterday ready to unwind after this week's filming. Having monitored my Mac weather widget, I was looking forward to the prospect of some warmth and sun - a welcome change from London! So having switched off from work mode, I found myself easily slipping into a state of relaxation with the help of Air France and some very good vin rouge! The flight was prompt, smooth and without incident, surely another good omen for a few chilled out days back home? We touched down at Nice bang on schedule to glorious blue skies, I waltzed through customs and glided to my pre-arranged meeting place for my lift when................. "SUSAN!!!!!" I turned around and there to my astonishment stood Ronnie Johnson! For those who don't know Ronnie, just check out his MySpace page www.myspace.com/ronniejohnsonmusic
Apart from appearing in a Beatles film, Ronnie has played guitar for Dylan, Sting and Van Morrison to name but a few. He's a fantastic guy and definitely one of life's more "colourful" characters!!! We met when I was interviewing Leo Sayer for a project and Ronnie was one of his band members. Ronnie is a frequent visitor to the South of France, this time he was accompanied by his lovely son George and as it transpired staying very close to where I live! Needless to say all plans of a few calm days were promptly thrown out of the window as I put on my "Susan-The-Tourist-Guide" head! As Ronnie really enjoys his nights out, I elected to dial up a few friends and generally rally the troops to provide adequate support to ensure survival!
Last night a few of us visited Cannes and went to one of the best kept secrets on the Cote d'Azur - Le Carignan - a fantastic wine bar in Le Suquet (the old town), who's proprietor Leandre is one of France's top Sommeliers and is both charming and funny in equal measures! I have a couple of pictures of Leandre from my sister's hen night which I thought I'd share - here he is at his most compelling - being utterly gracious and spoiling us girls! As you can see he's quite a character and a superb host, So if you're ever in Cannes make sure you pay him a visit.
Last night I'm pleased to report he was on fine form and the wine he served us was superb. Mostly we let him choose our drinks for us and he unfailingly manages to recommend wines that hit the mark. Unsurprisingly we spent most of the night there. Despite that, I feel absolutely fine this morning - in fact I'm about to go for a swim and then off to Mandelieu for a walk along the beach. No doubt they'll be more to report after tonight's activities so I'll try to update this again tomorrow!