Nothing quite like a French market

Goodies from the market

I’ve just got back from a morning at our local market. I say “local” but it’s reckoned to be the third largest/busiest in south west France. Both buyers and sellers travel hours to get here, even thugh it’s a small country town in the middle of France profonde.

The […]

Looking at the world through a clearer lens...

Eyedrops – my life for the next six weeks

I woke up yesterday morning and could see.

No, not a divine miracle, but a result of expert surgery and it’s only one eye so far. The other one will be sorted out in a fortnight’s time. (Update 10 October: Second eye done and […]

On being British in Europe now

I had a very trying day yesterday. Apart from 35C under a roasting sun, it was the climax to a process of several weeks of anxiety, research, much digging, sorting and photocopying, all the result of an ill-advised vote in June 2016.

In the wake of the Brexit vote, I have the impression from talking […]

Radio star!

Last Thursday, I was delighted to be internet-based ExpatRadio‘s special guest on ‘The Scribblers’ spot. They let me witter on (in between music) for an hour. No, it was more of a conversation with Mike Madden, Wendy H Jones and Eilidh McGinness. I’ve met Wendy several times before – we both spoke a the last […]

Charroux - a different litfest

You know the score – a crowd of writers keen to learn and interact and readers eager to adore the great ones, hurrying from pillar to post, same old topics thrashed over, expensive food, even more expensive drink, lots of undercurrents and exclusive events, groups and cliques and a carefully orchestrated bookshop with selected titles.

[…]