Monthly Archives: July 2008

Cycling

It wasn’t in the schedule…

… but when I finally escaped the office tonight about 8.30, got to the corner of Grays Inn Road, and found that Critical Mass was wending its way past – well what could I do?

A very pleasant hour – the degree of friendly cooperation that lets some 300 cyclists (estimates of earlier numbers ran from 700 to 800) wind their way through the streets of London is a pleasure to behold.

This was the “ciggy and have a dance break” in Smithfield market:

024

027

Travel

A stroll along the GR13 near Charbonnat

Only carrying the camera-phone, so no gee-whiz photography, but some interesting locals…

insects
There are seven insects in this small spread of flowers (click on the photo to see the larger version). Can anyone identify the large beetle?
read more »

Miscellaneous

That’s multiculturalism

Spent last night eating Spanish tapas (with a smattering of Indonesian dishes) in a small Burgundy village, the meal accompanied by a traditional Parisien chanteuse with accordianist, at a table where the language was mostly Dutch – although with some English in deference to my total lack of that language. We had a brief interlude of (blessedly quite good) karoake German, and the table definitely having the most fun in this Dutch-run chamber d’hote were four local women having a night out “sans maris”.

There’s a lot to be said for Europe…

History Women's history

Now that’s a 12-century carving…

103

Not perhaps very practical – two humans each holding a bear by the tail and urging them on to fight, but certainly you can hardly miss the symbolism.

From St. Andoche, Saulieu, Burgundy. (Lots more carvings on that link.)

098

Also boasts this rather severe St Bridgette de Suede with a book (and what I thought was a “don’t you dare ask me to wash the dishes” expression….)

And an early 16th-century Madonna said to have been donated by Madame de Sévigné

104

Miscellaneous

Questions, questions…

I was talking to a French estate agent yesterday and she reckoned that there’s the greatest risk of ticks in the vicinity of oak trees. Is this true, and if so why?

When you open Google maps in France, you start with a map of France. When you do it in the UK, you get a map of the US. Huh?

Feminism

Essential: contraception

According to the U.N. Population Fund, 190 million women become pregnant each year. Around 50 million choose abortion, but unsafe procedures kill about 680,000 of them each year.
Source