Author Archives: JJS

Field notes – Île de France

Posted on July 4, 2026 by JJS

An Arrival in Three Acts In which a small car becomes a medium car, a dry streak becomes a damp one, and a secret is guarded with the discretion of a man who has clearly never kept one before. There … Continue reading →

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Douze jours à 35°C et on appelle SOS détresse

Posted on July 1, 2026 by JJS

🇫🇷 Douze jours. Douze. Journées. À trente-cinq degrés. Certains n’ont même pas survécu à l’apéro sur la terrasse sans invoquer le réchauffement climatique, leur mutuelle et le nom de leur cardiologue dans la même phrase. Pendant ce temps, sur BFM, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Weather | 2 Comments

June in the rearview mirror

Posted on June 30, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 which is fitting since I just sold the mirror June, I hardly knew ye. Which is strange, because you’re allegedly my favorite month and we go way back — same week as my birthday, same week as the summer … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Recaps | 1 Comment

40° and Counting: A Mediterranean Survival Story

Posted on June 24, 2026 by JJS

A Mediterranean Dispatch · June 2025 41.5° in the Shadeand Not a Drop to Drink A tale of friendship, rosé (for others), excellent sausages, and the quiet heroism of the designated driver. When the météo announces 40°C in Carcassonne, you … Continue reading →

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When the Universe hits “Repeat”

Posted on June 21, 2026 by JJS

Some people measure a life in milestones: first steps, first kiss, first job, first grey hair. The Universe, apparently, prefers calendars. I was born on Sunday, June 21st, 1953. It was the first day of Summer, Father’s Day in France, … Continue reading →

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Avignon

Posted on June 20, 2026 by JJS

Thirty Years, One Baby, and a Belt I Couldn’t Find In which our correspondent drives two and a half hours to celebrate a marriage that has outlasted several monarchies, meets a granddaughter who has been on the premises for considerably … Continue reading →

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The week that was 24/2026

Posted on June 16, 2026 by JJS

It began, as the best weeks invariably do, at a table. Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne — that magnificent, slightly delirious temple to the French conviction that more is not enough, and that what is needed is considerably more — … Continue reading →

Posted in Weekly recap | 1 Comment

Le Mans 2026 – Day 5

Posted on June 16, 2026 by JJS

Home, glorious home Nine o’clock. On the dot. Bags packed, gîte left in a condition that would not disgrace a TripAdvisor review, and four slightly battered but thoroughly happy Le Mans veterans pointing the Audi Q5 south toward civilisation. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars and bits, Motorsports | Tagged | 2 Comments

Le Mans 2026 – Day 4

Posted on June 15, 2026 by JJS

The morning after the night before There are mornings when you spring out of bed refreshed and ready to conquer the world. This was not one of them. Emerging sometime around 9am, I felt less like a seasoned motorsport veteran … Continue reading →

Posted in Automotive Events, Cars and bits | 1 Comment

Le Mans 2026 – Day 3

Posted on June 14, 2026 by JJS

The plan survives contact with reality (mostly) Race day The words that make every other day of the year feel like a rehearsal. I had, as is my custom, a plan. A proper one. Not the kind scribbled on a … Continue reading →

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