Tuesday 21 August 2012

Une Femme en Corse

Every morning you swim out to the farthest buoy. A little afraid of sharks, having watched way too many documentaries with great whites exposing their gnashing teeth. The water is green-blue and barely tossed, although on some days grey and glassy like milk. You swim thinking of other bodies of water, stuff you should be doing for work, ideas for lunch, naughty things you'd like to do and have done to you. You backstroke in to shore then head out again, over and over. Every morning you nearly collide with the guy in checked boardshorts on that stand-up canoe. Every morning you hear the old cranky man cleaning the wooden planks of the cafe with a leaf-blower.

Then, before the crowds come with their tumbling kids and teensy bikinis and umbrellas and tribal tattoos and suncream, you sit awhile in the sand, invisible, contemplating coffee, hoping to dodge last night's dishes. The wind comes up.

Before lunch there will be pastis most days. (For those who haven't tried one yet - a cloudy aniseed aperitif, you keep on adding water until your jug is dry.) On a bright red table in a village. Or in the piazza at the nearby town, a hot clifftop hike away (involving naked swims on the way back).

Or in a cafe high up above the coast in a village with lavender shutters and winding paths and massive agave with bent blue arms.

Then in the afternoons you might have a nap, read a novel, or tickle your revisions; set out to a faraway and breathtaking beach.

Or a mountain village you never, ever want to leave.

14 comments:

  1. Are you kidding me????? You are amazing, Cat! A role model, for sure.

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    1. It was so so beautiful! I am missing the swimming, the lemons, the shooting stars! Hope you are smiling Xcat

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    1. Merci beaucoup Cathy. Glad you enjoyed the Corsican escape! Ciao cat

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  3. Lovely - felt like I was there.

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    1. It is always quite an epic trip, and I confess I brought home a case of chestnut-flavoured local beer on the ferry! And a Pastis jug...

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  4. There are some lovely places in Corsica - and some very 'interesting' locals!! We visited recently on the yacht on our way to and from Sardinia!! Hope you had a fun time - mine was 200% work but I could take in the sights from time to time on my way to a supermarket or port!

    Ciao Ingrid

    ps - perhaps it is time to update your tagline as your debut novel is now out and you are officially a 'published' author

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    1. I agree the locals are 'interesting' and I loved the tough and laid-back environment - especially the old folk in villages. Sometimes though the holidaymakers were a bit too much.

      I kept thinking thinking how lovely it would be to have our own boat, and there were a couple of times I felt like climbing board somebody anchored in our bay. But yes a boat is hard work, crooked bathrooms and sometimes the wrong crowd, non?

      Re tagline - yes you are right! It's about time I did some homework instead of gallivanting around!

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  5. I am positively green with envy.

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    1. And I didn't really want to come home. I'd love to go there during the year. I think it would be even more alluring without holidaymakers...

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  6. I love, I love, I love that you wrote this way. Poetic language, talk of sunshine and holidays, and it's right in my soul. xoxo

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    1. I am really enjoying your trip too! Lots of hiking and good company. It's so hard to come home to fly-swatting and cleaning and revisions upon revisions. Enjoy every second xxx

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  7. Ahhhhhhhhh (massive sigh of appreciation - and envy of course). Beautiful. Thank you.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the ride. Bear in mind that I've never gone camping with all of my four. Way too much work and worry. Just the youngest, who was swept up with the Italian clan.

      Whose Mum happily went drinking.

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