Sitting Under My Vine...

[Atheist]

Sun's low. Sparrow gangs are mobbing my overgrown grass looking for seeds and grubs to eat. Swallows are whistling in packs chasing after the evening's insect meal. Grapes (Baco variety) are green and small. 18 day radish seeds will germinate in a couple of days. Village wine merchant is bringing me six bots of Beaujolais 'Nouveaux' (actually several years old) tomorrow morning. Feu de Saint Jean now over (Mrs A went dancing round the fire with a Belgian woman while I propped up the buvette chatting with the mayor.)
And yet... Am I happy?
Are any of you happy?

[sandyRoe]

You sound a lucky man. If you're not happy I don't know why not.

[Tilly2]

I'm not sad or fed up or ill. I don't have any money worries. I have a loving family and a gorgeous dog. Does that mean I'm happy?

[Vagus]

Does it, Tilly? Are you??

[david small]

Off the top of my head. I recall being happy twice. Both times involved moderate beer consumption and a pretty woman. Sigh….

[Atheist]

Thanks for the reply, Sandy.
I think I am happy. Apart from being on meds for glaucoma, high BP, thick blood and high cholesterol, and apart from continuing to smoke (only tobacco nowadays) and drink (only alcohol and coffee nowadays), I'm still alive.
I've always been a fatalist and never striven for money (although I always presumed I would be a famous household name one day). But I was lucky enough to be able to hold down jobs once I gave up my youthful strivings and dedicated my time to keeping a family in food and drink.
I enjoyed my times rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, but never expected that I deserved to join their ranks - it was an interesting and enlightening experience. It's quite fun to have met household names, but it's another sort of fun not to have to behave like an ***. Not that they were all assholes. Some were and some weren't - just like everyone.
'Scuse me, Tony Visconti just posted a photo. (Time for Naomi to have a vomiting attack).
I'll be back if I have a window.
Ciao. :-)

[Atheist]

jura; you've just lost my undying love and respect. A steak! and Argentinian wine!
Only joking, chuck. :-)

[Atheist]

jura; I'm a veggie, but I don't condemn omnivores. And I do prefer French wine.

[Atheist]

jura; pourquoi jura?

[Atheist]

"jura" was me addressing you. It's not a wine that I know of. My favourite here is 2.50 euros a bottle of beaujolais 'nouveau'. My vine can give wine that's OK for about a month but then quickly fades.
Did you enjoy your steak? There's an abattoir just up the road from us and sometimes the lorries pull up outside our house while the driver gets a sandwich from the boulangerie opposite. The poor creatures go"mooooo" and stamp about a bit and it always makes me feel very sorry for them - they seem to be obviously worried and scared.
Oh well.

[Canary42]

Happy, but awash with trepidation. After my recent TIA, which got me a permanent driving ban, I too am on meds for thick blood and high cholesterol. Now, after a couple of weeks remote ECG monitoring, I've been called in to see a cardiologist on 13th July.

I gave up smoking 36 years ago, and I rarely drink nowadays.

[Atheist]

Canary; chucking booze and fags is a good idea; I envy you your strength of will.

[pastafreak]

There is a Jura malt whiskey...will that do?

https://www.jurawhisky.com/en/#1

And of course there are wines from the Jura region. Do they make it to the UK?

[pastafreak]

Meat absorbs alcohol...cancels it out.
;))
Sounds like a fantastic evening.

[Atheist]

Are you sure Pasta? Sounds a bit fishy to me. Is there evidence for the meat and alcohol business, or is it just an old wife's tale?