After almost three hours' work we stood in a row on the quayside waving her off. It was an emotional moment - at least for me. There was nobody on board the good ship Ann, no one to whom we were saying goodbye and no one to miss. It was just Ann herself and, anyway,…
Spring in Paris
The seasons reflect one of nature's most spectacular rhythms. We are lucky that they differ greatly one from the other, each with its own particularities and its own advocates. As I see it, the best of them all is spring, which according to astronomers, started this year on March 20th. Spring is the season in which…
Food escapology
After a late start, I gradually learnt to cook and for years now I have shared the culinary responsibilities with my wife, herself an excellent cook in the French tradition. In our cooking we have always tried to follow that tradition, so get almost as much pleasure from choosing the menu, buying the ingredients and preparing and cooking…
On Church Road
Our lunch on the first Sunday of February was very special. Just five of us were around the table - my wife Rohan, myself, our two sons and my sister - and for the occasion the number was exactly right. Only a few days before, Rohan had been discharged from hospital and this feast was…
Spread a little happiness
Maybe it’s a generation thing but I am not, nor never have been, a natty dresser. Quality yes, fashion no. Indeed, for many years I aspired to the anonymous dress style of a deputy bank manager. Nowadays, if I do wear something fashionable, it is almost certainly a gift from someone in touch - usually my…
From each according to his means…
Our house guest Dave was probably not expecting to have to make his own bed, quite literally by helping to assemble it himself, but the process and the end result was a fine example of collectivism and the division of labour to the benefit of all. A friend to whom I told the story, preferred…
A view from abroad
Eventually, and perhaps begrudgingly, the media and the public here in France became aware of the Scottish referendum. Then, all of a sudden, their interest came with a rush. There is a tendency in France to ignore or negate issues that they see as of 'Anglo-Saxon' origin, but by early September the idea that the Scottish…
Reflections of a postmodernist
It’s not that I have a problem with modernity, but upgrading one’s life isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Of course there are benefits but there can be losses too. What seemed like an obvious advance can give rise to pangs of nostalgia for the old way of doing things - was the…
The north wind doth infrequently blow
Sometimes gardening demands invention. Last week, it required the construction of a moveable gated fence, seven meters long and one meter high running across our lawn. The requirements were that it should be sturdy enough to keep in a small dog, easy on the eye and flexible enough to allow it to be folded away…
My little eye
There is more to spying than international espionage. Forget the events that forced Edward Snowden to take up residence in Moscow, Julian Assange in Ecuador's London Embassy, or the conversation that led to a Richmond spy's confession [Secret Newsagent, Greyhares blog, 9 April, 2014], in reality spying or being spied upon is a mundane, everyday affair.…
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