Montpellier, Trinh Duc, Selby, Snooker and what a load of horse chestnuts…..

Morning people on this gloriously sunny Sunday! It's a peach! It's a damn cold wind though, so I have donned the thermals again before going on a brisk walk on the Downs.

Meanwhile, it's the time of the week for a bit of a sporting round-up. Well, sports that I'm interested in. Some readers have asked me about Darya's interest in Montpellier… Why Montpellier, for heaven's sake? Well, why not? They have finished second in the French Top 14 this season with a stunning 44-10 victory over the array of stars at Racing-Metro Paris. May I remind you that amongst Racing's glittering ranks are Irish first-choice fly-half Jonny Sexton, Welsh international centre Jamie Roberts and the fantastic French hooker Dimitri Szarzewski.

In the book, I mention the impish fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc. He also happens to be the captain of the team. Here he is:

There we are. An 'impish' kind of face, as described in the book. Very cute. He also scored a try yesterday. He's been capped numerous times for Les Bleus since his debut in 2007. Yes, yes yes… what? This isn't the photo you wanted? What? You want nudity? Certainly not! Not on this blog. Never mind what goes on in my book. Book and blog are not one and the same and no, life should not follow art….. oh if you insist, just to get you off my back!!

Satisfied? On a Sunday as well?! You should all be ashamed of yourselves, and shame on me for succumbing to such pressure!! I'm sure you can appreciate Darya's 'appreciation' of Montpellier rugby now…. Anyway, she'll be packing her Lulu Guinness case and clearing off to France for the semi-finals no doubt, with her Montpellier scarf neatly folded in amongst her Passionata lingerie, chanting 'Ici, ici, C'est Mont-Pel-Lier!'

Writing has been somewhat interrupted by all the sporting events going on this weekend. I watched Perpignan (aka USAP) slide out of the Top 14 with Biarritz. Two big guns with three titles between them in the last nine years. Oh the times, they are a changing…. Brett and Felix would be gutted at their beloved Everton succumbing to the irresistible Pellegrini's Manchester City 2-3 at Goodison Park. Manchester United's fortunes at Old Trafford don't seem to have completely reversed as they lost 0-1 to Sunderland. And I am trying to write whilst cheering for Mark Selby in the final of the World Snooker Championships at Sheffield. He has such a cheeky smile and the tightest buns I have seen on a snooker player bending over a long stretch of green baize in a long time…. and here he is….

Anyway, I have bored you enough with my sport. I also have another obsession that is growing at the moment. Horse chestnut trees. They are everywhere. I was out last night and found a lovely horse chestnut tree by the sea. I found another this afternoon on my travels. They are like white lupins in the sky. Candles at the end of their branches. Absolutely gorgeous, and incredibly early due to the incredibly mild winter we had. 

Aren't they magnificent? I also have photos of my other seasonal obsessions: butterflies, bluebells and rapeseed oil fields. But I think you have been treated to enough for one posting. I must get back to this writing….. and snooker….. 

A demain readers,

MJ xx

p.s. Delighted to welcome my first visitors from Darya's Motherland - Russia! Looking forward to taking my story to St. Petersburg…..