Piperade

LATEST ARTICLES ( 127 )

• 296. Into the Unknown..

  

  4th January 2024. With the news that last year (reportedly) saw the earth's hottest temperatures in 125,000 years, I can't help thinking that we - on board... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2024 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• Bird-chirping Weather

  

  3rd July. This time of the year always provides the first hint of the arrival of the summer crowd.. after which parking in such hotspots as Biarritz and... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2023 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 294. We Go Again..

  3rd January. A Happy New Year to you (I nearly added: to you both). I hope you emerged intact from what can be an emotionally draining time for some. Read more

  Posted on 03 January 2023 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 293. Summer is Upon Us..

  4th July. This is going to be one long post! (I'm allowed 300 posts with my Blogger account) so each post from now on will cover 6 months of ramblings from the... Read more

  Posted on 04 July 2022 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 292. Next Stop? Spring!

  

  3rd February. The annual bright spot for me on the sporting calendar is fast-approaching - yes, the annual Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament kicks off this... Read more

  Posted on 03 February 2022 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 291. November Rides Again

  

  2nd November. We've just finished the final few jobs that remained from the list that we started 14 years ago. The stairs and the upstairs landing have been... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2021 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 290. Summertime

  

  7th September. Sad to hear yesterday of the demise of that great French actor - Jean-Paul Belmondo - who for many epitomised the charm of the Frenchman with... Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2021 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 289. And After Winter Folweth Grene May*.

  

  5th May 2021. History buffs will have noted that it's 200 years to the day that Napoléon died in exile at Saint Helena - six years after his defeat at Waterloo. Read more

  Posted on 05 May 2021 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 288. Back in the Saddle..

  14th February. It's been a while since I last put stubby finger to keyboard.. but today seems like a good day to kick off again with some random reflections. Read more

  Posted on 17 February 2021 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 287. New Year Strikes Again..

  

  2nd January. I hope you all had a happy New Year in spite of the restrictions wherever you might be. It's probably a sign of age but I was glad to pull the... Read more

  Posted on 02 January 2021 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 286. 'Twas the Season to Be Jolly..

  

  3rd December. We enjoyed an unexpectedly moving evening here in town a year or two ago - a riverside Chinese lantern festival. Watch this in wonder - like the... Read more

  Posted on 03 December 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 285. A Timely Reminder..

  2nd November. We (finally) had a warm weekend here.. with temps in the low to mid twenties. So - leaves were raked up, the grass was mown, trees and bushes... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 284. Especially When the October Wind

  

  2nd October. Never has Dylan Thomas' poem about October seemed more relevant.. Over the space of a handful of days, we moved inexorably from a "shorts and... Read more

  Posted on 02 October 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 283. September Morn..

  

  7th September. I just caught a snatch of this piece (one of my father's favourites) on the radio and luckily the announcer gave its name: Chopin, Les Sylphides ... Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 282. It's Scientifically Proven That ...

  

  3rd August. ... people who have more birthdays live longer. Today's special offer! If you're confined, in 'lock down' or simply stuck at home - why not relax... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 281. Braced for the Invasion!

  

  6th July. We (baby boomers) were lucky to have established ourselves here in 2007. It had been clear to me for some time that the extreme south west of France... Read more

  Posted on 06 July 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 280. Summer's Here (almost)

  

  2nd June. Gary Larson is one of my favourite cartoonists - and here's why:Very few makers of videos about Biarritz manage to escape the sea front - but here's... Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 279. Into the Unknown..

  

  1st May. As I approached the Place de la Liberté in front of the Town Hall this morning I spotted about 10 people conducting a ritual "May Day" demonstration... Read more

  Posted on 02 May 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 278. April is the Kindest Month.*

  

  1st April. One of my Basque friends has often spoken to me of the "abandoned village" of Aritzakun (here between Elizondo and Bidarray) in Navarre (in the... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL

• 277. The First Green Shoots of Spring

  

  2nd March. A real blowy and blustery day today.. I might just take another trip to the coast to see what the sea is up to. We were out in the car yesterday and... Read more

  Posted on 02 March 2020 EXPAT, TRAVEL