Author Archives: JJS

The week that was 21/2026

Posted on May 30, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 Les copains d’abord Or: how to drive 600 km, watch kites, drink wine, and solve the great Leclerc debate of our time. âžżâžż Monday âžżâžż Every good road trip needs a logic to it. Mine was, frankly, impeccable: drive … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Weekly recap | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The week that was 20/2026

Posted on May 17, 2026 by JJS

Rain, Re-runs, and the Stubborn Pool A Week of Noble Endurance Or: how one man heroically resisted the weather and watched a lot of television about it. The week opened on a genuinely triumphant note — the kind of drive … Continue reading →

Posted in Weekly recap | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Himmelfahrt

Posted on May 14, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 When Heaven meets beer carts and fatherly pride The Divine Ascent and the Earthly Descent Today is Himmelfahrt—a day so uniquely German that it manages to blend the sacred and the saucy into one glorious, beer-fueled, handcart-hauling celebration. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture & History, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The world of tyres

Posted on May 12, 2026 by JJS

The world’s biggest tyre manufacturer might not be who you think and no, it’s not Michelin A lifetime at Continental, a lunch in enemy territory, and one very small rubber bombshell. Last week I found myself in Clermont-Ferrand — spiritual … Continue reading →

Posted in Automotive Events, Cars and bits | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Chinese name

Posted on May 11, 2026 by JJS

So I have a Chinese name, a must officially when applying for a work visa. Mine was suggested to me by the manageress of the induction course I attended prior to settling in Shanghai for my 3 years stint. č‹Źćť° … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Excursion en Auvergne

Posted on May 11, 2026 by JJS

There are birthday parties, and then there are birthday parties. Bob II’s 80th fell squarely into the second category — though why the “II”, I shall not explain here. Life is too short, and besides, some mysteries are best left … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Grey monday meets British comedy gold

Posted on May 4, 2026 by JJS

Monday morning has delivered its verdict, and it is not pretty. The skies over Carcassonne have gone full British — a thick, low ceiling of grey that seems less like weather and more like a personal affront. The thermometer has … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The month that was – April 2026

Posted on May 1, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 A Tale of Two Seas (and One Very Smug Tax Form) In which the month begins in salt water, ends in salt water, and temporarily drowns in bureaucracy. âš“ Bookended by the briny deep April had the good taste … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Recaps | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The week that was 17/2026

Posted on April 27, 2026 by JJS

The aperitif dispatch There will be no weekly recap this week. The blank page can wait; Brittany, as it turns out, cannot. When the weather in this most stoically damp of French regions decides to behave — genuinely behave, blue … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Three days of sun in Brittany II

Posted on April 27, 2026 by JJS

Or Everything they told you was a lie Golfe du Morbihan  Â·  A Monday morning, suspiciously luminous Chris and Jeffrey have departed for England. I have seen them to the door of the weekend, metaphorically speaking, and waved them off … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment