Category Archives: Travel

What to wear

Posted on October 12, 2026 by JJS

The question of the week Autumn in our little corner of France has decided to perform a yo-yo ballet, and my wardrobe is the unwilling understudy. Last week, in a fit of optimism, I packed away all my shorts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Humour, life in France, Travel | Leave a comment

The Sunday roast hunt

Posted on October 10, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 A very serious investigation I am sure there is no shortage of top roasts in London. This is the sort of confidence one has before opening a browser and discovering roughly four thousand “best Sunday lunch” lists, each written … Continue reading →

Posted in Bars and Restaurants, Food & Dining, Travel | Leave a comment

I Had a Plan. Then My Kidney Got Involved

Posted on September 22, 2026 by JJS

And still no decision, also my kidney hates me It has now been just about two months since I wrote A Tale of Two Cities (And My Wobbly Knees), a post in which I confidently identified a problem — two … Continue reading →

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Summer files a grievance

Posted on August 21, 2026 by JJS

and I file a counter suit… Let the record show: summer is five days late to its own funeral. I woke up this morning to a positively cheeky 18°C — a good ten degrees shy of the sauna we’ve been … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Cities (And My Wobbly Knees)

Posted on July 31, 2026 by JJS

There’s a particular kind of trouble that starts with a good weekend. You come home, you unpack your bag, and instead of feeling satisfied, you feel unsatisfied — in the best possible way. That’s exactly the hole I’ve dug myself … Continue reading →

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London weekend

Posted on July 23, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 Day 1 The Great Stansted Rendez-vous: A Father-Son Weekend Every family has its own private cartography — the places that mean more than the map admits. For us, that place is London. My wife hails from south of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Travel | Tagged , | 1 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 →

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Escapade en Bretagne I

Posted on April 24, 2026 by JJS

The noble art of going nowhere fast There is something quietly absurd about traveling nine hours by train to cover a distance a crow would manage in two. But crows don’t have first-class seats, and they certainly don’t have a … Continue reading →

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Spanish retreat – Day 6

Posted on February 20, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 Palms, processions & the perilous shortage of gin Today we decided to broaden our horizons (and by “broaden,” I mean drive a whole 30km without snacks). Destination: Elche, a proper city near the airport, which feels like it should … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Travel | 2 Comments

The great winter escape

Posted on January 5, 2026 by JJS

🇬🇧 (That we escaped from too soon) ☃️ You know that feeling when you check out of a hotel at 10am and then watch from the taxi as they start handing out free champagne in the lobby at 10:15? That’s … Continue reading →

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