Desperate Anglo Housewives : Bordeaux > she's back and dating in her 50s

As the Olympics draw to their end,  this DesperateAngloHousewife is wondering where her next wee buzz will be coming from.... I know I should be having a good old rant about sportsmanship, international cooperation and team spirit but instead I am going to be completely honest. ...All those bodies beautiful! Am I the only 40-something who has been blowing bubbles into her Chardonnay during the  men's diving?  Was I the only creature on the planet who was reaching for the smelling salts as the men swimmers came out announced and pranced across to their starting block whilst unzipping their sweatshirts to reveal not just the most heavenly of six packs but also shoulders to  weep over? Of course one can wax lyric over the grace of the pole vaulting, the panther speed of Mr Bolt, the incredible concentration of the archers, the tenacity of the walkers... Did anyone else notice the female athletes, their tone and all of that in their " undies?" I did have a ...

What makes this Desperate Anglo Housewife rant, rave, stomp, pull out her hair...? You guessed it, more bad customer service. Just how hard is it to train shop staff in this country to be polite, respectful, to leave their condescending attitudes at home! End of sales, picture the left over stock, all marked right down to clear.  I walk into a shop in Bordeaux looking for summer trousers. Find a couple of quite ordinary ones, good for work, marked down by 70%...this was not haute couture. I'm talking BASIC pants! Roll up to checkout... Shopgirl ( herein, SG)," We have some lovely little summer tops that would go with these ." Moi, " No thanks" (smile politely) SG, " There's some great shirts that would match too " Moi, " No thanks " ( smile slightly) SG , "Do you need some blazers? Accessories...?" Moi, " No thanks " ( smile dissipates....) 10 second pause. SG, " You are just so...

Time  out,  alone,  is a rare commodity for most of us. For those of us who juggle busy professional lives with the daily family demands, time out is a virtual impossibility. That said, it is nothing short of a necessity. Having had a few of life's bigger challenges thrown at me this year, I felt it was time to take my own self into hand. When life gets tough we do let ourselves go...well, I do.  Like most women I go I go I go I go I go and then, I flop! I admit to being totally in awe of the majority of my women friends who seem to cope so well with anything. But that again is a "woman's lot"...we have to continue, there is simply no choice. We might be living in more modern times but let's be honest - who deals with the kids, the washing, the cooking, the daily grind...?  I don't know about you, but there are days where I start my mantra before I even jump on my bike to go home. Yes, that's me you've probably seen whizzing along the Bor...

...a case for serious spanking? Everyone is talking about it! But be careful who you tell... A couple of weeks back I read an article in Time about a book which was taking America and the UK by storm - Shades of Grey by EL James. Sales had hit an all time high, knocking Hunger Games off its number one bestseller rung. Preorders for the second and third books of the trilogy were so high that publishers were already ordering re-runs. Electronic book sales of the very same were unprecedented. Mummy's the world over are blushing as they reach for the Ben and Jerry's at the supermarket and wondering whether their husbands of 20 years have "twitchy hands." And is there still Baby Oil in the bathroom cupboard just in case... I don't really do "popular" literature but this had my curiosity going. What was the noise about?  30 seconds later and the trilogy was downloaded on my iPad. Basically I was lost to my entourage and family for the...

..in my face? Time for a rant! What is it about me and getting bad salads? How is it possible in this culinary capital that one can simply not find decent salads. Further, why is it that restaurants will not own up to their inept efforts? Do they not need to keep their clients? This week at a very well known and popular Bordeaux Italian eatery, this Desperate Anglo Housewife, in keeping with her spring purge, ordered a salad. It was called " Fresh Pasta Salad " and was described as assorted lettuces, fresh pasta, mozzarella, tuna, tomato, pesto..."  Sounded good. The restaurant in question has the Italian food lovers lining up for hours to sit down to their fabulous pizzas, mixed antipasti plates etc.With their fame and success  perhaps they have lost touch with the reality of customer service and a perfected menu? I have been going there for years and years and have never had a reason to complain. Their pizzas are frankly fabulous and their desserts, ...

...time for a Spring purge? For the last 2 years I have ranted and "tantied" about Spring in France,the mince mince mince ( slim slim slim)  brigade. This year Desperate Anglo Housewife is joining in.. her own way. So what is the Spring purge all about?  What can I say...I have found my "inner bitch"!! Before you quickly click off this page, because you are convinced I have completely lost all sense of humour and have become some kind of fitness fanatic,  I should probably confess that its 5pm and I'm sitting outside in 23° with my first Pimms of the season. Yes, I know it is a bit early but I have a very valid excuse -  if I don't get in my Pimms now the children will drink all the lemonade!! Besides it is packed full of vitamins and minerals..cucumber, lemon, orange etc. I was ranting on about my general lack of fitness, motivation and tone ( wobble wobble wobble) to my oldest friend back in NZ. She told me about a book which will change ...

...no not a foorball team! I have a major passion in my life  - an older man. Fred. Chopin. Bordeaux was fortunate enough to have one of the top Chopin pianists in town last week...Yundi Li. He won the Chopin piano comps in 2000 so really pulls in the Chopin crowd... moi included. The concert, at Bordeaux's magnificent Grand Theatre ( where the seats were never intended for anglosaxon bottoms!!) was preceeded by an announcement that there would be a slight change to the programme. The second half mazurkas and sonata were to be replaced by  The Peking Melodies. Although I am the first to admit that I was disappointed, I was really horrifed when people started to jeer and whistle.  My greatest concern was for the sensitive pianist backstage. Imagine coming out on stage to that for a welcome! The crowd was quickly won over by 5 beautifully interpreted nocturnes etc etc. This desperate anglo housewife was moved to tears. On with the second half.  ...