I got a lift with Jahnavi and Scott to Paris on Sunday, after lunch at Sabine’s parents’ own little manor, ready to catch the train to England on Monday. The roads got wider but more congested the closer we got to Paris until it took as long to do the last fifty kilometres as it… Continue reading Roads to Paris
Ni glass ni crystal
With all the time I’ve spent in France, I’ve never bought a souvenir. I’ve never been interested in trinkets that I can hang on the wall, so I dragged my friends into town on the Sunday morning to find a shop that sold red wine goblets. A small store on a sharp corner did the… Continue reading Ni glass ni crystal
French Wedding
Sabine and Glyn met while hiking, so the theme of their wedding was ‘tying the knot’ supported by a picture of two pairs of well-worn hiking boots with laces tied together. It was on the invitations, the website and on the menu at each table. Neither are very religious so they skipped the church in… Continue reading French Wedding
Stone Houses
Day 2 was harder for all the reasons I thought I’d enjoy it more. I caught my train into the countryside and was directed to a quaint hotel on a big roundabout, but otherwise surrounded by fields. I dropped my bags and went for a walk along the country roads, enjoying the views of rolling… Continue reading Stone Houses
Nothing to Hate
I only realised that I wanted to hate France a few hours after I got back. The language sounds like a bunch of Neanderthal women developed it when their menfolk failed to kill the mammoth again. The streets smell of piss. Even without their famed arrogance, the people are as ugly as the rest of… Continue reading Nothing to Hate
Plastic, Sugar and Wood
I spent two days at the Sydney Royal Easter Show last weekend, trying to increase awareness of AFS so that we could find more students to provide international experiences to and families to share experiences with foreign students coming into Australia. It’s been about 15 years since I’ve been to the annual agrigultural fair, but… Continue reading Plastic, Sugar and Wood
Exchange Students
I spent last weekend helping run an AFS camp for foreign students, students recently returned and students about to leave. I was lucky enough to be assigned to help prepare the recent arrivals for their time in Australia, which meant getting to know a number of students from Argentina, the USA, Thailand, Japan and France… Continue reading Exchange Students
Apology to Aborigines
The Australian Prime Minister apologised to indigenous Australians today for all the hardships visited on them by the rest of us. I’m of mixed feelings about this. My own feeling is that an apology offers nothing, especially coming from people who weren’t involved in the key wrongdoings such as Aboriginal hunting in the early nineteenth… Continue reading Apology to Aborigines
Leeches
I’m really enjoying the 15 minute bushwalk I get every morning on the way to the station, but this rain is taking the fun out of it. Three times this week, I’ve sat down on the train and settled in to read a book when my ankle began to itch. Reaching down, each time I… Continue reading Leeches
Hottest 100 BBQ
It’s become a tradition among many young Australians to spend Australia Day chilling out (or going off) with friends at a BBQ with a background of the best songs from the previous year. I jumped on the tradition when I came back to Australia and this year was my second event, but will probably be… Continue reading Hottest 100 BBQ