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Recent observations
- Lullaby and bonne nuit
- Strasbourg’s disorganised Summer festival
- Mister Cellophane
- The minefield of French pronunciation
- Big excuse
- Book
- Austerity
- Bloody Ryanair
- A french haircut?
- The gods of Bande Dessinée come to Strasbourg
- Comics, cows, theatre and music
- Hands high if you’re European!
- A word on the Euro
- The BMW X6
- Giant office building open day
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Tag Archives: france
A french haircut?
One of the few things that unnerved me soon after moving to France was the thought of visiting a hairdresser’s to get my hair cut. This might sound a tad idiotic or even downright cowardly to those who value their … Continue reading
There are no gastro pubs in France
When a word sounds exactly the same in French as it does in English, yet has an entirely different meaning, it is often referred to as a ‘False Friend’. Indeed some words can have a meaning far removed from what … Continue reading
A date for your diary
31st December 2010, New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year. Okay, I know, you might be doing something in the evening, but between the hours of 9 and 5 (excluding lunchtime of course) will be your last chance … Continue reading
Posted in Life in France, Life in Strasbourg
Tagged democracy, france, register to vote, right to vote, Strasbourg
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International sports rights
There’s nothing more frustrating to sit down in front of your computer 5 seconds before the match starts to be presented with a standard copyright notice, usually along the lines of “Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available … Continue reading
Posted in Life in France, pointless whinging, rugby
Tagged france, H-cup, media, radio, rights
4 Comments
How to celebrate the New Year – French style
Do one of the following in the hours approaching midnight: do one final ammunition check, dash out to buy up any last stocks of contraband ‘petards’ from the nearest corner-shop, double check you have a cigarette lighter or ‘briquette’ to … Continue reading
The trouble with working from home 3
As a telecommuter one major difficulty of working from home (or on the move) is convincing your employer or client that you are actually ‘working’. While the reality of the home working environment is that you probably actually work hard … Continue reading
My hair feels so soft!
Now while many of the locals may disagree, one positive thing that we (my wife and I) noticed immediately about French living was the way in which the local water left our hair so soft, silky smooth and manageable after … Continue reading
Government infomercials
There are three infomercials (I think that’s the word) playing ad-nauseum on television screens across France at the moment. While at first they appear to have the wider public good at heart, I can’t help but think they’re little more … Continue reading
Posted in Life in Strasbourg
Tagged france, French_TV, infomercials, public service announcements
5 Comments
Ouch! – update
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, … Continue reading
Posted in Life in Strasbourg, tax
Tagged france, french, social secutiy, tax, urssaf
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Sunday Trading
When we first moved to France, one of the hardest things to get used to was the seemingly random opening hours of shops and restaurants. For instance, our local ‘convenience’ store is usually open from 8am til 12pm then 3pm … Continue reading
Posted in Life in Strasbourg
Tagged commerce, france, la fraternité, shopping, sunday opening, sunday trading
2 Comments
Mother and Father tongue
It was our pediatrician who eventually decided to refer our 3 year old to a speech therapist having seen little progress in his language development over the preceding 12 months, but it was our pediatrician himself who gave us the … Continue reading
Posted in Life in Strasbourg, raising bilingual children
Tagged bilingual, france, language development, preschool, Strasbourg, toddlers
3 Comments
A British disease
One thing that perpetually irritates me about British culture is that sport equals football. That is to say, to the common man football is the only sport that matters, nay exists. Indeed I have noted this before. So it is … Continue reading
The trouble with working from home
There are two ways of looking at working from home. Firstly, positively: You can manage your own time Spend more time with your family live anywhere in the world no commuting no dressing for work be your own boss Then … Continue reading
