He dreamt that a writer of erotic fiction had been stabbed to death on the doorstep of her dream cottage

And that he was trapped on the summit of the Eiffel Tower and was quite terrified as the only way down was in a glass lift

He dreamt that a famous friend took him on an excursion that cost more that the holiday that they were enjoying together

When he awoke he found his dog Alpine Master in his arms and hoped that their relaxation was not post-coital

Smoking a cigarette his watched his girlfriend shower in strawberry water dashed with lime

Later as she dressed he tattooed a bar of soap with his grandfather’s identification numbers so it could suffer for the forgotten years

The lovers then exchanged paperweights which exhibited the likenesses of French cities and prayed together for an hour and ten

In the droplets of water still clinging to the shower room wall he saw Angela reclining reading from the Domesday Book

He kissed each droplet in turn

And asked her to read aloud

Which she did without question

As she knew that he loved his country as much as he loved her