Author Archives: JJS

Le grand gâchis viticole

Posted on April 20, 2026 by JJS

🇫🇷 La note du contribuable Pendant des années, les signaux étaient là, visibles pour quiconque voulait bien les regarder. La consommation de vin baisse régulièrement en France et en Europe. Les chiffres ne sont pas un secret. Les tendances n’ont … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Economy, Viticulture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L’été

Posted on April 20, 2026 by JJS

🇫🇷 Deux mois trop tôt, et alors ? Il arrive sans prévenir, sans s’excuser, et avec un aplomb qui forcerait l’admiration même du mistral. Il faut vous dire une chose : sur le calendrier — ce calendrier que l’on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Everyday life, French Lifestyle | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The sausage summit

Posted on April 18, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 A geopolitical crisis averted Breaking news from the highest levels of international diplomacy: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces his most delicate mission yet — finding a decent street sausage in Hannover before Brazilian President Lula da Silva notices. The … Continue reading →

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Le fisc arrive / The taxman cometh

Posted on April 9, 2026 by JJS

🇫🇷 Et il plaisante pas Il existe dans la vie certains rituels qui remplissent l’âme d’une sourde angoisse : le dentiste, le contrôle technique annuel, et le moment où le portail de déclaration des impôts français s’illumine comme un Faucheur … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance and bits, life in France | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When the Moon photobombs the sun

Posted on April 8, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 and your wife’s birthday There are moments in life when the universe conspires to make a decision for you. Not assist you, mind you. Not nudge you gently in a sensible direction. Full-on, celestial-scale conspire, with dramatics. August 12th, … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Events, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The month that was – March 2026

Posted on April 1, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 A travel, weather, democracy, and solo-parenting debrief — in no particular order of grievance Spain called. We answered. Obviously. The month opened with roughly the first third of it spent in the suburbs of Alicante, which is the kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Recaps | 1 Comment

Wars & Chaos

Posted on March 27, 2026 by JJS

(Based on a recent speech from Claude Malhuret member of the French Senate) 🇬🇧 In February 2022, a dangerous and megalomaniac leader launched a war in Ukraine, believing it would last a week. Four years later, the conflict is still … Continue reading →

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The need for speed

Posted on March 26, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 How I accidentally upgraded my life for €1 There I was, doing what modern humans do best: half-watching television, half-scrolling through the internet, fully committing to neither, with a drink performing the important role of hand ballast. A state … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology & Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Asian tour

Posted on March 24, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 It is done. Flights to Thailand are booked, paid for, and sitting smugly in my inbox like a promise I actually intend to keep. Bangkok will once again serve as our gateway to South East Asia — a region … Continue reading →

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Experimenting

Posted on March 20, 2026 by JJS

Channeling my inner Indiana Jones (with a little help from AI) indy-travel-map.html In a moment of forward-thinking brilliance—or possibly just impatience—I decided that planning a trip wasn’t quite enough. No, what I clearly needed was a cinematic visualisation of it. … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Holidays | Tagged , | 1 Comment