Monthly Archives: November 2008

How many peas have you got?

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Friday, November 21, 2008

There are many words in the French vocabulary that sound a bit like another. Hence the French are rather fond of the odd pun, as a double-hearing (or double entendre if you prefer), can lead to much mirth. But in day-to-day communication it can make things quite infurating, if you’re not quite used to the [...]


So what is Guy Fawkes night all about?

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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

So went the question punted my way by a Frenchman standing in front of a bonfire last Saturday night. How to answer? At school we’re taught the ‘official’ version of the origins of the celebration, which recounts how a group of bad men plotted to blow up the houses of parliament but failed. However, even [...]


Ouch! – update

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

My naivety knows no bounds. The very same day as I was hopping on a train to London, another social security bill dropped through the door* asking for an amount that made my knees buckle under me, and collapse, sobbing, to the floor. Taking into account the bill from my accountant, health insurance, social security, [...]


Is this really ‘news’ … ?

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Monday, November 3, 2008

Every time I take a trip over to the UK I usually take the opportunity to bring myself up to speed with current affairs. After all, what we hear in France of Britain is usually little more than politics or a little bit of European social commentary. It says a lot about Britain then, when [...]


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