Author Archives: JJS

The great French juggling act

Posted on July 15, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 A summer of strategic scheduling 🍓Chapter 1: The Departure of the Famous “Bande Anglaise”Three-quarters of Carole’s legendary childhood crew – the infamous Bande Anglaise – have just boarded their respective flights back to England and Belgium this afternoon. The … Continue reading →

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The week that was 28-2025

Posted on July 13, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Wimbledon, wine and weather warnings A Totally Average Week, Apparently I suppose it’s been a fairly average week. You know, the usual: 40-degree heat, central heating on full blast, three airport runs, five women in tow at the market, … Continue reading →

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Chronicles of a (nearly) ascetic monk

Posted on July 9, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Episode 1 The scale strikes back It’s been exactly ten days since I ended a long and passionate relationship… with alcohol. Not a drop, not even a cheeky glass of rosĂ© on the terrace (I know, living dangerously). The … Continue reading →

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Operation: Literary letdown

Posted on July 8, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 How Tom Clancy got himself court-martialed from my library Once upon a time—many moons ago, back when summer holidays came with sunburns and sand in inconvenient places—I was a devoted foot soldier in the Tom Clancy reading army. His … Continue reading →

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🎓 Villanova

Posted on July 5, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 50 years later, still fitting (just about) Some people celebrate milestones with champagne. Others with a trip down memory lane.Me? I celebrate with a brand-new Villanova University T-shirt delivered by my ever-cheerful postman this morning. Now, let’s be clear:This … Continue reading →

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0% alcohol, 100% questionable timing

Posted on July 5, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Last Sunday — for reasons still unclear even to myself — I made a bold decision: I stopped drinking alcohol. Not forever. Not for a bet. Not even for a deeply philosophical reason. Just… because.(Cue dramatic music and the … Continue reading →

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The morning I time-traveled to the summer of 2000

Posted on July 4, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 A few weeks ago, I treated myself to a warm bath of nostalgia by writing about the anniversary of Expo 2000 in Hannover — that quirky global village of ideas, pavilions, and passport stamps. Since then, one very specific … Continue reading →

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Heatwave hysteria

Posted on July 3, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Have we become a nation of weaklings? I’ve travelled extensively and lived in parts of Asia where the thermometer never dips below 30°C—day or night. Add to that a suffocating level of humidity, and you’ve got real, relentless heat. … Continue reading →

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The month that was – June 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by JJS

A laid-back and witty take on summer heat, pool therapy, doctor-approved laziness, and a June that vanished faster than ice in rosé.
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đź’§Water Issues Solved?

Posted on June 30, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 The great hydration hustle – Part deux A few weeks ago, I publicly moaned (yes, again) about how I seemed to be spending my golden years in a relentless cycle of refilling bottles, jugs, and any other container that … Continue reading →

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