Jay and Janny Go To the Mountains
It has been a hot and humid summer in the South of the France. To beat the heat, this past weekend we went for a much overdue trip to the Southern Alps to see Janny’s brother and Janny’s nice niece originally from Nice. We had a great and cool time. We drove east to Nice…
Read MoreLiberté, Égalité, Fraternité – But don’t tell me where or how to Park
While l have mused about parking in France before, it is just so amazingly fascinating to me that it deserves further consideration. I don’t get it. Sorry, It is clearly my Canadian upbringing. Sorry again. Did I say I was sorry? To me, painted parking lines are not a mere “suggestion”. They have been painted…
Read MoreEverybody Loves the Sound of a Train in the Distance
Along the Southern coast of France and into Italy, train tracks hug the water as they wend their way from town to town. The rail line through Bandol, according to the Google was built in the 1850s as part of the Marseille – Ventimiglia (Italy) line. Over time some new sections have been built via…
Read MoreThatta Way
Don’t get me wrong; I like a good map. In fact, I love maps. I can be happy for hours at a time looking at road maps and studying routes. Usually I have a pen in hand marking or circling spots or road numbers. I once lost a map at a hotel. I cried. I…
Read MoreThe Rhythm of The Beach
Our Shack by the Sea in Bandol, France sits maybe 100 metres inland from the beach and perhaps 25 metres above sea level. If we are not at the beach (which is very often) I am looking out from our terrace or through windows at the beach. I have observed a daily rhythm to…
Read MoreMoving E-House
Moving house is one thing. Moving e-house is proving to be quite another. I will be honest, and contrary to Firm policy, I have never had a personal email address, that is, until now. My whole life and existence, from Netflix to finance to any number of used and unused apps, websites and mailing lists…
Read MoreRule #5a – Listen To Your Wife
Rule #5 of the Rules of the Cog (https://www.velominati.com/) is quite simple – Harden the Fuck Up. But what is not written is Rule #5a – Listen to you Wife. I went out for a ride today. Nothing new about that. I wanted to go for a good long ride from our home in Marseille…
Read MoreThe Wheels on the Bike Go Round and Round
The Girl – Half Ironman, Musselman, NY – 2025 When the Boy and the Girl were kids on their bikes, and if you gave them a full acre of asphalt, they would have still found a way to smash into each other. Cue the crying and screaming and scraped knees and that…
Read MoreBoy Meets Bike, Boy Looses Bike, Boy Reunited with Bike
The story goes that when as a kid I was presented with my first real bike with training wheels, I wanted to take it to bed with me. I cannot really remember, but it could very well be true. I like bikes. I always have and I suspect I always will.This though is…
Read MoreThe Bandol
Janny and I love the water. We love being in it, on it and overlooking it. It is calm and peace and at the same time, an overload of all your senses. You see it of course, but you also hear it, smell it, touch it and yes, taste it, whether it be the fresh…
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