It’s around this time of year, every year since our arrival in France in fact, that Les Enfoirés make their appearance on our TV screens. Each year these fifty or so celebrities tour the nation with a show to raise money for the national soup-kitchen charity Restos du Cœur (Restaurants of the heart). All very admirable. […]
Well isn’t this delightful? I am finally able to present to you, ladies and gentlemen,
Far from being an exact science, the act of translating from language to another can
Our Christmas this year was dominated by the toy that has every French school-boy under the age of ten going nuts. They call it Toupie; and they play Toupie at breaktime, Toupie at lunchtime, Toupie after school and Toupie at home. It’s like a perpetual conker season without the conkers (buck eyes) […]
It’s a remarkable feat. I’ve been in France for over six years and never once have I been tempted to look up the direct translation of brassiere (or ‘bra’ if you prefer). This was because I had assumed that ‘brassiere’ was itself a French word and therefore must mean the same thing. Not so.
In paying attention to the audio track of a TV spot for said undergarment last night (for which I usually focus my visual senses) I heard […]
Stumped as to what to get [insert name of loved one] for Christmas? Well, here’s a suggestion: You call this a Nativity? A collection of rude, crude and downright blasphemous plays for Christmas by, er, me! You call this a Nativity? began life […]
As an avid rugby fan I have naturally been following this year’s Rugby World Cup
The passing of my third full decade in existence has brought with it a few
Is it wrong to write a review for your own book? It’s certainly not illegal. Arguably, if prepared to admit the conflict of interest up front, there’s no reason why an author shouldn’t at least have a go at convincing people to buy their own work. Ahem. In the most impartial and balanced way you understand?