I love the video at the bottom of this post from Stephen Cronk of Mirabeau wines, Cotignac, Provence.
Let me set the scene.
Young couple, young children, stress levels are rising in the middle of their supposedly idyllic summer break. Little Johnny has sun burn. Much to the admiration of her parents, precocious Matilda tried her first gambas two days ago. She quickly contracted a stomach bug and now she’s as white as a sheet and whining all day like a starving dog. A trip to the beach has been planned. Mum, Imogen, is in charge of the packing. She thinks she’s remembered everything:
Sun tan cream – check; Rug – check; Tapenade – check; Baguettes – check; Parma ham – check; Wine – two bottles – check.
On the beach the kids are as hellish as ever, the sun beats down, Johnny fries some more and starts fighting with Imogen. It’s 11.30 and hubby Fergus can stand it no longer – ‘pass the corkscrew.’
‘Isn’t it a little early dear?’
Fergus starts delving into the picnic bag, throwing items over his shoulders with increasing frustration.
‘Where is it, where is it, can’t you get anything right, bloody hell all you had to do was pack a corkscrew.’
‘How dare you speak to me like that,’ retorts Imogen, ‘if you hadn’t been so busy checking your email perhaps you would have remembered.’
And that, would be that, holiday ruined, soul searching, marital inquisition, except that is, if one of them had had the forethought to watch Mr Cronk’s video.
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