Dear all
How are things chez you? The last few months have been utterly exhausting and, as you will have seen, as much as I try to keep these weekly, it’s sometimes difficult - so they become fortnightly from time to time. Apologies for that!
Another thing that has happened is that, for months, I’ve been using a special system to make notes and, while that works for making notes, I keep forgetting where they are. But I’ve just realised where they all are - and there’s lots of stuff for coming newsletters in there (and some stuff that I’ve had to ditch because it’s now out of date :rolling eyes emoji: )
Anyway, let’s get focused and crack on with this edition that is packed with words! In this episode, you will find out about:
Words
Passports
Biscuits
…and more!
So, without further ado, let’s ado this!
Enjoy!
James x
Passports
I sometimes wonder if I should just have done with it and make the first section a rant and have that as a format point! Brace yourself!
A few years ago, I started explaining to anybody that would listen (very few people, as it turns out) that the UK deciding not to accept EU member states’ ID cards instead of passports was, in the words that I used at the time, monumentally stupid.
My reasoning was simple. Many people in the EU do not have a passport but do have an ID card. This isn’t because they don’t travel but, rather, that as an EU citizen, you can travel to the following with just an ID card…
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Oh and also…
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Liechtenstein and Monaco.
Wait, I’m not finished. Also…
Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Jersey and Guernsey (all subject to certain conditions)
Obviously, this also includes…
Corsica Sardinia, Sicily, Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands and Crete.
So, for many, a passport is a bit superfluous to requirements.
My argument was, why would a family of four go to the UK if that will require an extra cost of over 200€ for passports plus the time for the photos, admin and appointments when they could go to dozens of other places without that added cost?
Well, it turns out that I was right. It really was monumentally stupid. The government at the time tried to tie it to ‘immigration’ but even the simplest amoeba could tell you that people entering the UK with a valid ID card are no more an ‘immigration risk’ (whatever that is) than people entering the UK with a valid passport. Both are official government-issued documents which contain the same information. It was simply a pointless and vindictive attack on EU citizens that has backfired in the most incredible way.
However, fear not, my British readers - the government hates you too! Or maybe it’s just a way to try to encourage British people to spend their tourism money in the UK and not go abroad?
The UK is about to increase the cost of a UK black/blue passport. A standard online UK passport application is now going to cost £88.50. As I type, that’s about 105€.
For comparison, a French passport is 86€, a Spanish passport is 30€ and a Croatian passport is 42,47€. ID cards are, generally, much cheaper and in some countries, like France, are free.
So, as far as I can tell, the UK government’s policy seems to be ‘keep all the foreigners out and keep travel out of reach of the plebs while ripping them off if they insist on travelling’.
Which brings me on to the second thing…
Voting
A while ago, I said that I would not vote in the UK elections because this isn’t my problem any more. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be borderline immoral not to do something about the UK government if I can. So, I have registered to vote and will be giving my vote to whoever can get rid of the incumbent Tory MP in my old constituency (which isn’t entirely clear at the moment).
Now I don’t know who I will be voting for in two elections! Which feels very much like a step backwards!
If you are a British citizen living overseas, there is no longer a cap on how long you can be outside the country and still vote. Registering to vote takes minutes and is free. Click here and register now.
Lefèvre-Utile Biscuits
On to more fun topics! (At last, I hear them cry!)
I was having lunch in a local bakers the other day and went to the toilet and I saw something that really amazed me. (Keep it clean, it’s not that sort of newsletter!)
Now, first of all, apologies for the quality of this first photo - but it was quite a tight space…
This advert for Lefèvre-Utile petit-beurre biscuits caught my eye. Partly because I really like old advertising posters and partly because of this bit at the bottom…
Exigez la marque L.U.
I think this is the first time that I found out that the brand of biscuits ‘LU’ is actually an abbreviation for Lefèvre-Utile.
If you don’t think you know that brand, you do!
Oh, and as I went back into the main seating area, there was another, much clearer clue!
Anyone using this in a pub quiz owes me 10% of the prize!
Little Victories
I cannot begin to explain how satisfying this was.
I am 99% sure that this is the first time in my life that I’ve not pushed the plastic tab into the salt and lost it forever!
New Words
Over the past few months, to keep my brain from atrophy, I have been trying to learn some new languages. I love languages and the challenge of learning something that is a constantly moving feast.
Croatian has a continual supply of new words and this year’s annual linguistics awards has highlighted some (although awarded a prize to none!).
In particular, it is nice to have a different word for influencer - utjecajnik - which has, in its English form, wormed its way into many other languages.
What does surprise me is that, despite Croatia’s prowess in just about every sport, until recently, there has been no Croatian word for hattrick. Now we have trogodak - just in time for the Euros!
Want more new Croatian words? Here they are!
Eggs
I mean, I’ve seen some odd shaped eggs but this one was something else…
Thank you!
The co-pilot will, very soon, be leaving for Norway and his Erasmus trip.
A massive thank you to everyone who contributed to his tablet. The tablet is going to make it much easier for him while he is studying there - and it has arrived and he is setting it up with everything he needs.
You can find out more about his Erasmus+ trip and why he will be looking at support for dyslexic students in Norway by clicking on his face below!
His Gofundme is still live and any donations will be used by him for coffee (as is the newsletter tradition!) on his trip. I wonder what Norwegian coffee is like…
We’re somewhere between excited and nervous at this point! Closer to nervous on the scale!
He has promised photos and updates when he is there and I will post them on here when I get them.
…and that’s it!
I’m feeling confused - Substack hasn’t given me the ‘your email is too long’ warning message! This is a new experience for me! So I’m not going to stop before it starts shouting at me!! :)
Take care of yourselves and have a fab week,
James x