After today's performance on the soccer pitch, however, sadly I have to face the evidence that, aged 5 1/2, he does not and will never bend it like the master. My little 'pre-debutant', too young even for a football licence was down on the local all-weather pitch playing in a friendly tournament. He was actually playing with others in his footie club, but the older, licenced boys were playing against the Vendargues team.
They played three matches in just over an hour and a half and my son's side won two, lost one, so no complaints there. He was, unfortunately, hampered by his tibia pads so we took them off, whereupon he was put into goal where tibia pads are not so much an essential piece of leg protection (at that age!). When he was next liberated onto the field, he did run around more comfortably, but has a tendency to kick and leave the ball; he doesn't follow it up the field to pass or try to score, and just seems to be perpetually perplexed.
Hence my acceptance of the fact that his vocation is unlikely to be footie. To be honest, given your typical footie player and those WAGs, I'm not overly worried, and am probably quite relieved. I wouldn't like him to live 'Footballers' Wives'...
I doubt he'll make millions in music either although he does seem to be something of a purist. Since the digital piano was delivered, he has taken to playing the magnificent, old, out-of-tune original piano which, before, he never touched, but from the moment the other arrived, started tinkling away on its ivories (literally...). It's not like he's rejected the modern electronic one, but he has a definite preference for the classic piano.He's been trying to play his favourite song of the moment, 'Au clair de la lune, j'ai peté dans l'eau...' (boy=toilet humour). I helped him with the first phrase; 3 notes. I took his finger and played the melody as far as 'mon ami Pierrot'. Could he get the hang of it by himself? Nope. We tried again, and again, to no avail.
Hence my acceptance of the fact that he is obviously not a musical genius either, although that does not necessarily exclude him from becoming a famous pop star...
On the other hand, he is getting enormous enjoyment out of both playing footie and the piano, and I'll just have to look to other solutions for my little retirement comforts.
just curious really, but have you ever discuss the issue with him, perhaps with illustration of Victoria Beckham herself and what's waiting in store for him?
ReplyDeletejust curious..
I hesitate to mention it Sarah, but you've only had one comment so far. And I've had none for days, either. This all very dispiriting, don't you think, revealing ourselves as we do to the blogosphere, when our offerings seem instead to go straight to the stratosphere instead, and from there into outer space (or so it seems).
ReplyDeleteI have a suggestion. Let's team up to create an internet start-up company. It would be called "Rent-a Comment" and do exactly what it says on the tin. You could have 20 comments on this site by the end of the day.
Google bought up YouTube this week for a cool 883 million quid. And the company's only been going for a year ....
Thinks, if my idea takes off, then you and I could both be multi-squillionaires by this time next year. OK, so you son's not cut out to be a goalkeeper or striker. But we could buy him his own football club instead to help him get over the disappointment. And we could set up permanent art exhibitions for you know who in Montpellier, Paris, London, New York and Tokyo.
En passant, I've just recalled that hilarious remark attributed to George Dubya: "The problem with the French is they don't have a word for entrepreneur."
Colin If you did that you would have to sign up some prolific creators of blog comments. Could I offer you my line in anti Anglo Saxon comments? Of course I would need a heavy signing up fee,there is definitely limited talent available on the market. I would willingly and in excrutiangly detail denounce the failings of UK expats holed up on the med coast bringing their boring photos to the web.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would suggest, Richard, that the appropriate place for your remarks is the one from whence you have come, namely Colin Randall's blog. He too is short of comments right now, and might be grateful for some more interest, even from a self-confessed anglophobe such as yourself.
ReplyDeletePS: Better still, why not start your own blog ? If I can do it, so can you.
Colin, to drum up interest in your blog, one of the best ways is to visit other blogs and leave a comment. That way, others see your comments and click on your link, and some of those then leave comments and so forth.
ReplyDeleteYou can also join blog directories such as the ones on my site such as Britblog, BlogExplosion and so on. Just click on my links and they'll take you to the site.
Don't expect comments on every blog either. Many of mine have none at all, but I wasn't fishing for comments; just getting my post out of my system.
One of the posts I made that has brought me the most number of visitors is one on FunTwo, the Korean guitarist. I'd never have thought that such a banal post would be so popular, so write about something in vogue and you'll have people flocking.
Hello Colin HF.....NG on line! I have desperately tried to leave you a comment to let you know you are being read too, HF...but your blog won't let me - keeps asking me for a password I don't have! So via ED please know that you are being read by "you no who.".....grateful for your plans when you and Sarah are multi-ultra-billionaires.
ReplyDeleteLoved to see from your blog that one of your dreams came true...thanks to probably divin intervention - so incredibly lucky to have found out about THE PLACE in such an unexpected way, and then all go there together to enjoy it!
I'm a bit upset about Orleans coming on our nice happy soothing RH site with Sarah....I'm a frog, but don't like anything anti anything!
As far as little footballers are concerned, you should just see him in his footie gear....he's a wizz, and looks like a tiny blonde Harry Potter! His little face all a light with happiness all the time - and lovely red glasses!
Of course good blood cannot lie...an awful lot of ED there!!!!
So instead of being a goal-of-the_year, he will probably be a Pulitzer Prize, and retirement is assured ED!
NG
Hello ng
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you. Sorry you were prevented from leaving a comment. I may have another look at relaxing security options when I'm feeling a bit more confident.
The artist who painted my picture was one Jean Claude Quilici. Maybe you know of him? It was he who inspired the comment about permanent exhibitions. He's got them in Paris, New York, Singapore etc. What I would give to have his skill with a brush.
Do you see merit in his work, or am I revealing the pleb within ?
He may not be your tasse de thé, but if you're interested here are three sites:
First, my Cadaquès picture:
http://www.quilici.net/galerie/cathedralecadaques.html
Second, a wider range of his work:
http://www.fulcrumgallery.com/artist_jeanclaudequilici.aspx?
Third, his own website (but I find it a bit awkward to navigate)
http://www.quilici.net/
I share your sentiments about R d'O. I don't understand this antipathy towards his kith and kin. I don't understand the obsessional negativity. While he keeps banging on the way he does, he will find he's not welcome on many websites. I'm even wondering if mine was conceived as a reaction - to erase the memory with something more positive and forward-looking.
I've just had a message come in from Sarah about those controls. I'll think about it. In the meantime, maybe Sarah won't mind to continue acting as host when we've things we want to discuss.
Bye for now