As Spring waits to pounce into blossoms across the Garonne Valley,these first sunny days herald another seasonal ritual--scrubbing the Winter crud out of the nautical nooks and crannies. this is part of the 'romance' of living on an old dutch barge.
This Pirate Captain's best friend, rather than the customary ham*, is a brand new West Marine bright-blue soft-bristled scrub-brush with an extra long handle. Sigh. No more scratching the hand painted finish, no more bendy over back ache. I almost growled with pleasure as I leapt** to the top of the wheelhouse and attacked the winter green bits.
In my landlubber life I cook, teach and write about the great Gascon gastronomy; On huckfinn days I play at being a Pirate Queen afloat on the French inland seas. (One doesn't get seasick that way.) It's not a bad life if a little quiet. But every salty Captain worthy of her ration of armagnac has an indispensable first mate. And although gone but not forgotten, H.P.DuPont has a worthy heir - Bacon de Barici.
Short on table manners and just a little too independent, at three months he has already mastered walking the gangplank and jumping down the companion way stairs. His fancy name not withstanding, he is not from Noble blood like DuPont. Bacon de Barici harks from the Chapolard Pig Farm and has a different sort of pedigree- he can tell his jambon from his jamon. Very important on a pirate ship. He asked me what was the best part about being a Pirate Queen. The Booty? The Silver, Pearls and Gold Doubloons? The Swagger? The Adventures?
"No, my wee little matey. Just now, the best part of being a pirate is... the naps."
And so, after scrubbing the decks, filling the water tanks, curling the 100 foot-long hose, and putting my well-worn crocodile deck shoes away, It's time for a little Pirate snooze. Arrr, me heart-ies, there's more to life than cooking and doing dishes. This summer we'll be raising the 'Joli Rouge' for some hi-jinks on the inland seas. Stayed tuned...after the naps of course.
Arrrr-revoirrrr,
from the pirate that can cook
* for the best Pirate adventures today check out Gideon Defoe's silly books. We pirate girls love him to bits even if he says he is a loser. http://www.gideondefoe.com/index.htm
** Leap here is used as a synonym for "crawling rather ungracefully up to the roof with the aid fo the scrub brush".
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1 comment:
Omigosh!!!!
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