Tag Archives: France

Belle and Aitch on the ball

Posted on May 10, 2020 by

I tried to buy cigarettes in Paris but got distracted by lavender and mango bath salts which cost €52.50. Later the rapper Aitch and I started a wildly successful YouTube channel (‘On The Ball’)  in which we taught each other … Continue reading →

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A sacrilegious faux pas in France (Rousse)

Posted on December 22, 2019 by

“Let’s go,” I said, “I’ve had enough of this ridiculous Catholic tourist trap”. I spoke rather too loudly, clearly upsetting many of the faithful who were visiting this French holy site of pilgrimage. I back-tracked in admitting that it was … Continue reading →

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Lost underwear in Lyon (Rousse)

Posted on September 24, 2019 by

I joined a French language trip for school children, with RG as my companion. Our base was Nantes. We also took up the option of a side-trip to Lyon. The latter was a big mistake. When RG checked us out … Continue reading →

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Diamond disappointment (Rousse)

Posted on August 5, 2019 by

Three decades after graduating with our first degrees, several of my peers were once more taking rooms on campus. I had two sets of accommodation to organise: (1) at the University of Birmingham; (2) in France. In Birmingham I showed … Continue reading →

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Secrets between friends (Rousse)

Posted on June 6, 2019 by

DJ and AJ had supposedly downsized to a modern house on the mainland. When we visited their new place, however, we found that they were now living in a gorgeous mansion furnished almost entirely with Chinese antiques. We had clearly … Continue reading →

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Hotel holds guest’s underwear hostage (Rousse)

Posted on February 23, 2019 by

AH, CS, NY and SY pulled up outside the house bang on time at 3pm. ‘Look what we’ve brought!’ showed off AH, as he dragged two life-size cardboard cut-outs of me and TPR into the house. Each with a mop … Continue reading →

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A clown, killer whales, and curvy bronzed buttocks (Rousse)

Posted on September 22, 2018 by

Thirty years on I rediscovered the dark-haired Italian man with whom I had been friendly in France in the 1980s. Now working as a professional clown, he lived on the French riviera in a small apartment that offered wonderful views of … Continue reading →

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A French language refresher course in Paris (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2017 by

I accepted the offer of a place in Paris to undertake a six-month long refresher course in French. Although downhearted at the prospect of a long time apart, TPR kindly accompanied me to France to help me settle in. The … Continue reading →

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The value of writing concisely (Rousse)

Posted on August 20, 2017 by

‘The greatest skill that we learnt as undergraduates’ announced JS to the audience seated before her on rows of hard wooden chairs ‘Is how to write concisely. I can turn one person’s long-winded paragraph into three neat sentences – as … Continue reading →

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Paris waves freeze on last day of finals (Rousse)

Posted on June 20, 2017 by

I took my last final exam on the day that the Paris waves froze. My entire cohort was gathered there in summer dresses – even DM, slim and beautiful in red, yellow and blue. I had done no revision at … Continue reading →

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