A perplexed Charles de Gaulle once asked “How can one govern a nation that has 246 varieties of cheese?”. That was in 1962. Since then the position for French presidents has worsened. An estimate by their minister of agriculture suggests that the number of cheeses now exceeds 3500, and in late June, on a visit…
Parking mad
Driving a car is full of challenges and on this particular occasion Janine, who is in her sixties, was at the wheel. Her driving is typically calm and careful; she is certainly not a risk-taker. The driver in front suddenly applied his brakes, and in seconds Janine's demeanour changed. She lowered her window, stared…
Snail mail
It was probably in the late 1980s that I became aware of the word 'openness'. That is, openness as it relates to governments and large organisations. It seems to me that it arrived from Russia in the form of Gorbachev's glasnost. Whatever its origins it was a concept, particularly as it related to drug companies,…
A bad case of le Willy’s
Despite my misgivings [Reflections of a Postmodernist, 11 July 2014], buying a television for our cottage in France has proved worthwhile. Just this month it has allowed me to watch key events at the European Athletics championship, and my wife some favourite DVDs, but it has also revealed its limitations. Our subscription did not allow me…
Whistler’s mother
When it comes to etiquette, I'm in a muddle. I am happy to doff my hat, wait my turn in a queue or offer my seat to women in the underground, but at the same time I see a problem with the idea of politeness for politeness' sake. To me, following rules of conduct or social…
Cutting the cord
Already this year I have spent three months in France and I plan to be there for at least another two. Next year I imagine it will be even longer. Inevitably, with these extended periods abroad, I began to wonder exactly where I belong - a question which, at my stage of life, comes as…
They was robbed
Football divides us, and for those of you who see the 'beautiful game' as irrelevant, aggressive or even repulsive, here is a health warning: this blog is not for you. However, those who empathise are invited to read on. The final Saturday afternoon of the season was a topsy turvy affair with anxiety and exhilaration…
30 Years A Shave
Joe Collier learns the importance of keeping up appliances Getting old seems almost unreal. As a child, then as an adolescent and later in my twenties, old age seemed a long way off and not much fun. And some things were clear - when old age arrives bodies stop working. Walking sticks, glasses, false teeth…
In wonderland
It is usually dangerous to make generalisations but here we go - Canadians are nice. What draws me to this position? On my first trip five months ago I discovered that when it comes to matters of taste, there are many people in Canada who have an endearing quirkiness, as I described in July [A…
A stake in the ground
A few weeks ago I stayed in a rather grand seventeenth century merchant's house in France. It had walls a metre thick and backed on to a hill, which was all very fine for protecting against the biting north wind but, 350 years later, made phoning or texting a lottery. Unless, that is, I went…
The Joe Collier Blog 