Dear reader,
Apologies.
I remember, in my youth a couple of years ago, when I started out on this newsletter writing odyssey (or should that be oddity?) that I said it would be ‘about monthly’. We'll it’s now half way through June and here we are, me typing away and you being shocked at receiving only the second newsletter of 2022! Sorry!
My plan to have a day of writing each month has not quite started yet - there is a day and the rest of the things that I had hoped to do have happened… just not the writing. We’ll get there! Soon I hope!
Anyway, without further ado, in this exciting episode:
I tell you a hotel gamechanger
I let you know how to get a cheap(er) break in France
I tell you about a free offer for you, dear readers!
Let’s get on with it!
Come on!
GO!
Summer 2022
We’ve almost made it! The temperatures are mounting to horrible levels. I need to get the car serviced. That June work pinchpoint is almost upon us…
And for those of you who don’t know, yes, France really does shut down.
I know you think that it is just some anglosaxon joke at the expensive of the French but, come the end of July, France will shut as everyone goes on holiday.
Now, this makes it hard for our neighbours who don’t understand the benefits of not working yourself into the ground and wonder why it’s fine for that email not to be replied to for three weeks (because we won’t be looking at it, by the way) and, on top of everything, you will be annoyed that it’s impossibly expensive to go on holiday anywhere and, when you do get somewhere, it’s absolutely packed with people.
But, dear reader, let me tell you a little secret… ok? You sure nobody else is listening? Promise you won’t tell anyone? Here it is…
Paris is cheap for a huge chunk of July and August. And empty.
OK, not quite empty but pretty quiet. Not many queues. Loads of things on. And great weather.
Why is it so quiet? Everyone goes to the beach!
But… shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone!
This Fella Joined Me For Lunch #1
He did.
Book Box Finds
I find it harder and harder to walk by a book box without taking a look in. There are all over France and, many, many, many months ago, I was somewhat amazed to see them along Paris’ tram line T3a.
My latest find is a very old French school maths textbook!
I’m looking forward to seeing whether I can still add up - along with making my own contribution to the box to balance things out!
Expect the Unexpected
One of the fun things about city life in Paris in walking along and seeing something you weren’t expecting.
In today’s episode… they’re recording today’s episode!
If anyone knows what programme this is, I’d love to know! It was being recorded on the rue Saint Denis, just north of the porte.
This Fella Joined Me For Lunch #2
He did.
I’ve known Mark Izatt since forever. He’s a business consultant and branding expert.
He also writes an excellent news-based newsletter - a daily update called The Daily that gets you up to speed in seconds without all the guff that the news sites push on you!
Mark has said that, if you sign up on this link, you can get the free Daily newsletter and, as a bonus for my readers, get the paid weekend update for FREE too! Be quick before he changes his mind!
Gamechanger!
Remember in the good old days of hotels when they used to give you a glass to put your toothbrush in so you didn’t have to hang it over the edge of the sink? Then they replaced them with paper cups and, obviously, no paper cup is going to take the weight of a toothbrush, right?
I was looking at the paper cups the other week and contemplating the weird cover they come with and, for some reason that I still do not understand, I decided to do this…
BOOM!
Coffee Thanks!
It’s ungracious of me to wait this long for me to say thank you but… no, there’s no excuse! Thank you to Marie and Lynn and those others of you who have anonymously bought me coffees on BuyMeACoffee.
Today’s coffee comes from the amazing Brûlerie du Léon in the Ateliers des Capucins in Brest.
Not only was it lovely but the Brûlerie du Léon is special because it does things that nobody else does. For instance, last year, it imported 700 kilos of coffee and had it imported in a very environmentally friendly way. It took a while to get here… Read more about that here.
I have still not forgotten Ilicco’s challenge - that Pucasso inspired cup… I’ll find it one day, you know! I will!
If you would like to support these occasional newsletters with a coffee, please click here (and thank you!). If you’d like a shout in the next newsletter, leave your name! :)
Elections in France
Well, round three of the elections in France has just finished - it’s the first round of the legislative election.
The Presidential Majority has done well - with marginally more or fewer votes than NUPES. And, joy of joys, the insipid Zemmour has lost everywhere. Meanwhile, the right remains a busted flush. Pécresse and Fillon killed it.
Here are the first round results…
That’s it, folks!
As I mentioned before (I think!), I am working on something but it’s not quite there yet. You’ll be the first to know!
Off to Germany soon - that seems always to provoke a post!
In the meantime, have a great start to the summer and, who knows, maybe there will be another one of these in under 4 months!!
Take care,
James x