Those of you who have sharp eyes, or at least a nodding acquaintance with Things-Computerate (or both, of course, since they’re by no means mutually exclusive), may well have spotted that the three initial letters of the title make up the abbreviation ‘OCR’. But, for the benefit of those amongst … Read more …
Before you begin to read, please be aware that this is by way of a tirade, a polemic, a philippic, a jeremiad, a diatribe… or, put more simply (for the benefit of any sad souls who do not nibble a thesaurus between meals) a rant. And it will most probably … Read more …
Well, here we are, back from the building site which was Marseille. Not that it spoiled our 40th wedding anniversary – the purpose of our visit. We had a lovely time, did our usual trick of managing to befriend local bar staff who then plied us with free drinks and … Read more …
The name of Engelbert Humperdinck has crossed my path three times, and all three occasions resulted in fairy-tale endings. The first two were of the kind where the princess marries her frog (who turned out to be a film star, of course) and everyone lives happily-ever-after in a mindless Never-Never-Land … Read more …
As the immortal Jesse would say: “This week, I ’as been mostly readin’ Proust!”. To be more precise, I’ve just finished reading Swann’s Way, the first of the seven volumes which go to make up Marcel Sprout’s (sorry: old habits die hard) Marcel Proust’s gargantuan novel À la recherche … Read more …
We have just spent a fabulous 2 full days and 2 half days with Mia and Charlie here in Montpellier. For those of you who don’t already know, Mia is the younger of my two amazing step-daughters and Charlie (or Charlotte as she currently prefers) is our grand-daughter. We hadn’t … Read more …
Good Friday, 6th April 2012, was an exciting day in Montpellier. After 5 years of planning, roadworks, major disruption to daily lives, and enough noise and dust to test the stoicism even of Montpelliérains (the most patient people on the planet), the day of the inauguration of tramway lines 3 … Read more …
France must be one of the most dangerous places in Europe in which to live—at least, that would be the opinion of the Honourable Society of Neanderthal-Brained Nincompoops & Nannies whose members keep embedding ever further—and dafter—regulations into English Law. I’m thinking, for example, of the police constables who weren’t … Read more …
Looking back over my (mostly undecipherable) notes, I find that it’s a goodish while since I last spread some nicked-from-the-cemetery flowers over the Temps Perdu of any residual memory of me that still lingers at Bradford. But the gap is not, I hasten to add, because I love you all … Read more …
As yesterday was the culmination of the Festering Season, may I take this opportunity to wish a Bonne Année! to my readers — whoever you are (or, should the number have dwindled to singularity by this point, whoever thou art). Parenthetically, I do wish the Second Personal Singular hadn’t disappeared … Read more …