Maurice in Canberra - a horrifying prospect

I got back home from work early -- i.e., at 10pm -- and reheated some Boeuf Bourguignonne for dinner. Julia keeps inviting herself round for dinner, but managed to avoid it this evening. Yes, I know you haven't found somewhere to rent yet. Yes, I know I have a spare room. And your point was?

Got a phone call from Maurice. As is typical of Maurice, it was somewhat long and incoherent. The main point was that he's planning to visit Canberra when he's next in Australia.

Suddenly having somebody else over to stay, and thus the spare room occupied, seems like a better idea.

For those who can't remember his last visit, here is an artist's interpretation of what a visit from Maurice would look like:

It's not very realistic, I admit.

In reality, its far worse.

I'll send Julia a text messsage.

The return of Mycroft (from 20,000 fathoms)

Mes amis.... no, fear not, its not Maurice, its me, Mycroft. It's safe to come out from hiding now...

Not much blogging recently as have been organising... stuff... to do with the commonwealth heads of government meeting in Perth. Can't really comment on that at this moment, or indeed at any other moment. Some things will just have to stay opaque.

But the main point here is that this hasn't left me much leisure to do internetting... or much else indeed. And I've been in Perth -- away from my humble abode in Canberra, my library, my cellar...

But back in Canberra now. Maurice-free since December 2010! Quite an achievement. I'm proud, in any case.

I bought plenty of wine in Burgundy ... you might all remember my trip there earlier in the year ... and that was arriving back in dribs and drabs by surface mail for months afterwards. But I got some good stuff ... '55 Clos Vougeot? I bought several magnums. I also got a few nice bottles of a '78 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ... yummy.

But Julia said I should stop boasting about my wine cellar, so that's it for now (though I think that's because she's secretly envious ... and because I wouldn't open my last bottle of '34 Romanée-Conti for her ... but we'll pass over that in silence. What cannot be said here will not be spoken of!)

I'm starting to make plans for 2012. A trip to Italy is a must. Lots of trips to the US, but that's not personal, it's business. No, again, I can't speak of that here. I'm also debating starting on a scholarly autobiography ... 'Life and times of an intellectual civil servant', but probably wouldn't get clearance to publish it. Eh ...

Back to the present -- seems Maurice (my 'geynius' brother) has forgotten the grape harvest at his Italian and Spanish estates. How long should we wait till we remind him? Just need to wait long enough for the vintage to be an almost irreparable disaster ... so any day now?

Muarhoses ill-fated road trip to Boirdeaiux., Switzerland

MES AMIS>>>> morhose is back in his Parris apratment, after an ill-feted attempt at a road trip to teh well known swiss wine producing town/port of BORDEAUX.

Unfrotunately, tihngs went badly right from teh start. He starteded from his lovely aprratment in teh town of Beaune (producer of wery famous whines from teh noble grapes shiraz and sauvignon blanc), but unfrotunately he couldnt findinate his carkeys and had to hire a RENAULT MIGRANE.

Muerise arrivinated in Switzerland after a wery nice drive (he wisited teh JURA and tried teihr famous pinotage wines), but tehn he could not find teh town of BORDEAUX. Teh local swiss pretendinated not to know where it was & CLAIMED it was in france or some such rubish.

Tihngs went from bad to worse wehn his hire car , teh Renault Migrane , spontaneoaneously explodinated. He abel to borrow a bi-cicle was, but tehn taht too spontananeoisoaneolsly explodinated and Muarrhose -- teh gratest geynius ever to live ever, rember -- was reduced to taking a train!!!1!!!

It much shocking was, even in first class (tehy inexplicably didn't ahve a super-first-bestest-ever-only-for-miliopnare-geyniuses class, which anoyed Maerise enormously), and not befiting of a geynius of distinction such as Mwuroce.. Muarhoise is still traumatised.,

Eh bien. Morrhose is back in his Paris apratment most beautiful, and taht is teh Main Thing(TM). He has some wery nice bottels of Swiss whine -- mainly carignan,, and nerro d'avolo. He looks forward to ahving tohse over teh next few weeks, with his diner. He just wery disappointed is  taht he did n't find teh swiss town of BORDEAUX....