Author Archives: JJS

Memories from the Lay-by at Lakenheath

Posted on December 12, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Back in the days when I lived in Surrey — before the M25 spared us the joy of crossing London — I had a couple of important customers up in Norfolk. That meant a monthly pilgrimage northwards, usually involving … Continue reading →

Posted in Nostalgia, Planes Space and bits, Road Trips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

🥐Paris Rules the World (Again!)

Posted on December 5, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Yes, dear readers — your humble (but très chic) Parisian narrator is gloating just a little: for the fifth year in a row, Paris has been named the world’s #1 city destination in the 2025 ranking by Euromonitor International. … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The month that was – November 2025

Posted on November 30, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 How I survived pubs, panto, poultry and painkillers Today is the last day of November and, for those of us raised on catechism, hymns, and the comforting fear of eternal damnation, it also happens to be the first Sunday … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Recaps | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My daily rendez-vous with caffeine, headlines and questionable pyjamas

Posted on November 26, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 There is absolutely nothing I cherish more in life than my sacred morning ritual: a steaming cup of coffee, the global news at my fingertips, and me — majestically draped in pyjamas that have seen better centuries and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A night with CoverTramp

Posted on November 22, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Or how Perpignan turned into 1979 Last night, dear readers, we did something wonderfully reckless: we drove all the way to Perpignan for a concert by a band called CoverTramp. Yes, the name does exactly what it says on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The night Burger King ruined my cheese documentary

Posted on November 20, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 I was having a perfectly civilised evening.Picture this: me, tucked comfortably under my warm wobble blanket, watching a delightful documentary about French cheeses—the kind of programme that restores your faith in humanity. Soft cheeses, hard cheeses, smelly cheeses… bliss. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and Drink, Television & Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Winter and retirees

Posted on November 19, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 The glorious futility of French digital IDs The weather has suddenly turned a little colder — the kind of cold that whispers, “It might be time to wear socks, old chap.”Naturally, I had been heroically hoping to postpone that … Continue reading →

Posted in Administration, Technology and Change | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

London afterthoughts 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on November 9, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Five days, 44.2 kilometres, two musicals, one disappointed stomach, and countless cups of tea later — London has once again proven that it’s impossible to visit without both falling in love and wearing out a pair of shoes. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

London – Day 5 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on November 8, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Going home (Reluctantly and with style) Our final evening in London began with indecision — the eternal traveller’s dilemma: Chinese or Indian? After a brief debate worthy of the UN, we took the diplomatic route and went for… French. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

London – Day 4

Posted on November 7, 2025 by JJS

🇬🇧 Highs, lows and everything in between A blissfully uneventful night — no fire alarms, no bladder rebellion, no late-night existential crises — so by 9 a.m. we’re happily seated at breakfast, caffeinating efficiently. Between bites of scrambled eggs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment