And it’s not the US dollar or Bitcoin — I never set out to live in France. I had my eye set on Spain. France was just territory I needed to cross in order to reach my real destination. …

12000 Eurasian cranes gather on French wetland reserve — At the moment I am away from my rural village home and staying in the beautiful city of Bordeaux. This is one of my favorite French cities, left largely unscathed by World War II bombing as the Allies focused on the nearby submarine base. We are not far from the…

Simply being right won’t win the environmental war High in my large catalogue of character faults is the ability to say “I told you so.” Those little words roll off my tongue with such delicious ease that there are times when I use them even if I never said anything on the subject in question. At the moment…

COVID is killing a part of French culture — One of the things that people of Anglo-Saxon descent are quickly confronted by in France is what is known locally as the bisou. This is the traditional greeting in which people kiss one another on both cheeks. This behaviour is by no means restricted to men kissing women and vice…

The Great Underwear Divide Modern society and political correctness demand that we constantly eliminate any differences between the sexes. We must, we are constantly being reminded, seek to find common ground and disregard areas where, for one reason or another, we are simply not the same. There is, in my opinion, one area of…

The new space race is on — but will it reduce the space between the rich and the poor? — Imagine, a family where everyone’s interacting together all the time. A family that shares space constantly, and I don’t just mean emotionally, but physically too. Arguments are flaring frequently and emotions are running high. No one can agree with each other, and every small thing is annoying someone in the…

And you thought women were the romantic ones Most men are under the quaint but naïve misconception that their female partners are the romantic halves of their relationship. My experience is some-what different, and yes, this might hurt. In my opinion, women marry men for one of three reasons. …

A plea for the weaker sex — It’s popular today to talk of equality between the sexes but let’s be honest here, when it comes to shopping, we men are simply outclassed. Hunting for Christmas presents for a spouse is a minefield. The chances of crossing it unscathed are incredibly slim. Occasionally my wife allows me to…

How exotic dancers almost caused a bird to go extinct — As a nature fanatic, I pay close attention to the visiting wildlife that parades itself along, and in, the river in front of my home. Normally, the list of guests varies only minimally, but every now and then we have a star appearance. Such was the case last week when…