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Saint Sebastian

  This was painted by Mantegna, an Italian artist, in 1490.  It is full of movement, as Sebastien appears to try to step back, and his loin cloths billow in the breeze.  The expression on his face is so clever.  His hair is also caught in the breeze.   The body is brilliantly painted, with […]

Posted 11 years ago

The English in France. Part 3. Driving through Italy.

    Venice was full of pigeons!  It did make me laugh so much because in St Marc’s Square there were vast crowds of tourists, largely Oriental or American, though plenty from all over the world, and they were taking photos of the pigeons!  It seemed to me such an odd thing to bother photgraphing […]

Posted 11 years ago

What the British like and dislike about France.

  A questionaire went round the expat club I belong to, asking us to comment on the things we like and dislike about living in France.  It was interesting – and amusing – how we all said almost the same thing. WE LIKE:- – the French greet each other in the street, or anywhere, with […]

Posted 11 years ago

The English in France, Part 2. Hitting the road.

  An early sketch of George. I didn’t catch the size of him at all.  I’ve forgotten what he weighed now, but it was something like 70 kgs – over 10 stone.  He was extremely intelligent, as Great Danes are, exceptionally obedient.  We didn’t even need to put him on a lead once he’d got past […]

Posted 11 years ago

Bonjour Madame, said Chloe. Chloe’s mermaid.

“Bonjour, Madame,” said Chloe, aged 6. “Bonjour Chloe,” I replied. In her hand she held a piece of paper and a pencil.  She flapped these in front of her. “Please could you draw me a mermaid?” she asked (but in French). I had about 3.4 seconds to spare, so I sat down at the table […]

Posted 11 years ago

French in the English language; English in the French language.

  There are loads of them.  Loads and loads.  Nowadays there are equal quantities (in fact perhaps larger quantities) of English words in the French language.  Some sectors of French academic circles fight ruthlessly – and pointlessly – against it.  It is a sign of the times – television, popular music, films and so on […]

Posted 11 years ago

The ship l’Hermione. Snippets of French History. Part 6.

Gilbert de Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, who at the age of 21 sailed in l’Hermione to the Americas where he supported George Washington in the War of Independence against the British, 1780. A near-perfect replica of the original frigate l’Hermione is open to the public in nearby Rochefort.  The huge project started in 1997 […]

Posted 11 years ago

The English in France. Part 1. Our story continues; Meniere’s.

  George was getting old.  Ten is quite an age for a Great Dane.   During our travels he slept in the back of the car on a sequence of foam mattresses with a sequence of blankets – all of which got flung out and replaced regularly because it was easier than washing them.  In […]

Posted 11 years ago

Extract from “French Sand”

Greg … what is it ? Why this? What are you trying to tell me? She understood then that she must examine the Caprice more closely, and that she must also find out if Greg used any other boats in the area, or if he had any connection with other boats. For the first time […]

Posted 11 years ago

Happy New Year in France.

New Year in France is often called “La Saint Sylvestre”, as indeed it is in Germany and several other countries. Saint Sylvester (Silvester/Sylvestre) was a Pope from 314 AD to 335 AD.  He was buried on 31st December 335, and that day became his “feast” day – and it was, coincidentally, New Year’s Eve.   […]

Posted 11 years ago

Books now available on Amazon:

A Call From France
French Sand
Kefani: An African Childhood
The Man With Green Fingers
Saying Nothing