Author Archives: JJS
Spanish retreat – Day 6
🇬🇧 Palms, processions & the perilous shortage of gin Today we decided to broaden our horizons (and by “broaden,” I mean drive a whole 30km without snacks). Destination: Elche, a proper city near the airport, which feels like it should … Continue reading
Spanish retreat – Day 5
🇬🇧 Trams, stamps and strategic nightcaps The mission for today was admirably simple: embrace public transport like seasoned locals and take the tram into Alicante’s town centre. No hire cars, no heroic marches – just us and modern infrastructure. After … Continue reading
Spanish retreat – Day 4
🇬🇧 Spain, Day 4: Sunshine, Tapas, and the Heroic Quest for Wine Woke up late to a frankly illegal amount of sunshine. The sort that immediately forgives you for all past sins and makes you believe you are, at heart, … Continue reading
Spanish retreat – Day 3
🇬🇧 Ham, hypermarkets and heroic beach strolling Today’s mission: supplies. Not just any supplies. Spanish supplies. The kind that make your fridge look like it’s about to host a tapas-themed TED Talk. We kicked things off at the local Mercadona, … Continue reading
Spanish retreat – Day 2
🇬🇧 500km, one shoulder and the sacred Spanish lunch hour I woke up with my shoulder still auditioning for a tragic opera, but with slightly less commitment to the role than yesterday. Progress! After a lightning-round shower and a coffee … Continue reading
Spanish retreat – Day 1
🇬🇧 The kind of sentence that smells faintly of sunscreen and irresponsibility. We left home with the precision of a German train timetable and arrived in Barcelona in 2 hours and 54 minutes. Not 3 hours. Not “about 3 hours.” … Continue reading
La France ne décline pas
🇫🇷 Elle avance, en râlant Le rĂ©cit du « dĂ©clin français » est devenu un rĂ©flexe mĂ©diatique. On l’entend du matin au soir, entre deux dĂ©bats enflammĂ©s. Mais quand on regarde les faits plutĂ´t que le bruit, l’image est bien … Continue reading
Thursday, my old friend
🇬🇧 I have always liked Thursdays. Not in a loud, fireworks-and-confetti sort of way. More in the discreet, knowing nod of two accomplices who understand each other perfectly. Thursday sits there, calmly, right in the middle of the week. Precisely … Continue reading
Les Aiguilles Rouges
🇬🇧 The birthday I spent trying not to plummet off the French Alps June 21st, 1976 🏔️They say your twenties are for finding yourself. On my 23rd birthday, I was less concerned with finding myself and more concerned with not … Continue reading
The Month That Was: January 2026
🇬🇧 Or: How I Survived Technology, Weather, Whisky, and My Own Pancreas A month-long chronicle of medical adventures, technological betrayals, gastronomic triumphs, and the ongoing battle between diet intentions and French cuisine January 2026 will go down in personal history … Continue reading
I do it my way 