While we’re on the subject of la rentrée, it might be worth pointing out that it’s not just the government, schools and social clubs that are starting up again after the summer. The chasse is back in town (well, the countryside hopefully). In case you don’t know, the chasse is the hunt and it’s a…
It’s all over. And that’s official. Summer, that is. In France. At the beginning of September, the summer holidays are officially over. The schools go back, government ministers and civil servants return to their desks, even the social clubs start up again after their two-month hiatus. And there’s currently a heatwave. As I write, the…
Most people with even a passing acquaintance with France will know the French word for ‘hello’: ‘bonjour’ (literally ‘good day’). However, maybe not so many will be aware of how crucial an element of social intercourse that simple word really is. Fail to preface any and every interlocution with a friendly ‘bonjour’ and you will…
As chance would have it, I actually referred to my most challenging task yesterday. I refer, of course, to the weekly routine of changing the bed linen. The process can be broken down into four parts, the middle two of which – stripping off the old sheets and pillowcases and putting on the new ones…
I spent most of my working life as a financial analyst in the investment business. As my specialist subject was the European banking sector, I saw plenty of corporate restructurings being undertaken, with mixed success. The key question in such exercises, of course, is how to define success. When announcing restructurings, company managements must perforce…
This week’s theme for Song Lyric Sunday is novelty songs. Well. we could all use a little bit of levity at the moment, so here goes. I have a distinct memory of Sunday afternoons in our house when I was around eight years old in the late fifties or very early sixties. We always used…
Bloganuary Day 30: OFFS! Describe yourself as a tree. What the hell is this? Have I stumbled into a Stanislavski drama workshop? Or maybe a primary school class where the supply teacher has no idea how to keep the little buggers darlings occupied until the bell goes? Oh alright then. if I was a tree:…
Bloganuary Day 29: roll on next Tuesday… How are you changing the world? Well I’m not, am I? The thing is, I have no aspirations to change the world. Heaven forbid that I should ever consider myself to be some kind of ‘influencer’. For a start, I don’t even have an Instagram account, TikTok is…
Bloganuary Day 27: The end is nigh Where do you go when you need solitude? We live in a decent-sized house with a fair bit of land attached, so I wouldn’t need to go far to find physical solitude if I really wanted to. It must be said that this has been quite a boon…
Bloganuary Day 25: thankfully entering the final week. Write about what makes you feel strong. Maybe I just have a suspicious mind [no, really? – Ed.], but to me this sounds very much like another sneaky attempt by WordPress to elicit something cloyingly inspirational. Well it didn’t work last time and it’s not going to…
the only deadhead in the hameau 