There just aren't enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do, not without using up an awful lot of electricity. This logistical problem is one that I've been wrestling with for years. It's not even something the supermarkets can help with. 'Spend £100 in-store and claim an extra fours hours of natural daylight on your chosen day - valid until 12/12/14'. Nice thought though. I wish.
I've been trying to catch-up on some reading you see. There's all the stuff on the kindle that I've downloaded, complete books as well as samples, fact and fiction. Then there are the art magazines from the UK, which we had redirected as we're members of various organisations and political mags which are my thing really. Then there are the French newspapers, books, magazines. I go into overdrive. I start reading with pencil in hand, poised to mark-up all the new links, titles, names etc., that I inevitably come across and just have to check out. There's something about being insatiably curious that is extremely irritating.
I'm in the middle of reading a supplement called The Shifting Power Dynamic. Sounds very dry and worthy but it's fascinating, revealing and unsettling. Contributions come from politicians, diplomats, academics, various think tanks, international agencies. So a broad knowledge/experience base from which emerge a series of perspectives about politics and the world stage. The supplement is divided into sub-groups such as International Relations, Global Diplomacy, Control and Influence. There's also a book list at the back. I'm only on page 10 of this wretched supplement and already there are crosses, underlinings, exclamation marks on every page of things to follow up. Hopeless!
The introduction is by Paddy Ashdown who discusses the age of global interdependence we have embarked on. He's given a TED Talk on the subject. Haven't got round to watching it yet, but it will no doubt be an indepth version of the article I've just finished.
One of the key themes throughout the supplement is that government as we know it is no longer the solution; that it remains resolutely stuck in the past; that Ministers and Civil Servants are far more interested in preserving their budgets, defending their payrolls and protecting the territorial integrity of their individual departments. Networking is deemed a threat and not viewed as an opportunity. Networking of course matters.
Ashdown cites as an example for failure in Afghanistan, the international community's failure to network. As a result there was no coordinated plan, just the inability of nations to work together and their refusal to speak and act with a single purpose. His real attention grabbing point is that in this day and age where '. . .everything is connected to everything
. . .we increasingly share a destiny with our enemy.'
The concept of living together is not a new concept. But as Ashdown explains it, whereas in the past it was more a question of morality, for our times it is more a question of our survival.
Tales from Cravant
A Cravant View
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
A drink with the Mayor
There were a lot of people packed into the salle de fête last Saturday night for the annual drink with the mayor, It always happens at the beginning of the new year, although not normally being here at this time, we hadn't realised. Don't know how many Cravantais there were, but it was heaving. We walked down with our neighbours Jacqueline and Norbert and caught up with some others inside. It was a very useful evening - one good networking opp. Suddenly realised how many people we now know, how many we recognise and there were some people we've never even seen before. Spotted around eighteen wine producers and various festival committee members and hunt committee members, Some people are on both. Wines and fizzy supplied by various wine producers as always and terrific food as always. It's done with real style, but of course everyone is used to it or perhaps expects the quality.
Not sure if Cravant viewed 2013 as a particularly difficult year weather wise compared to others. From our point of view, it seemed to have had some difficult moments, particularly with the flooding.In his address to the collected group of villagers in his review, there was a huge amount of repair work to be done. Cravant is looking good again. Both our 'home' towns have a bad time. In Bradford on Avon some restaurants lost their entire Christmas and New Year trade. That's a devastating blow and not one you can easily recover from. The Fat Fowl that is in prime position in the centre of town, which we often go to, had a metre of water inside and is now shut for the foreseeable future, while repairs are done. They want flood defences put in understandably. Financially it's an awful position to be in.
So with the village apéro party, festivities have really come to a close. The next big event will be at the end of this month with the annual St. Vincent 'do'. It's already sold out. There's a bigger marquee this year thank goodness. It's really built up a fantastic reputation over the years. Takes a huge amount of organising, which the festival committee are used to. But it's maintaining the quality of the event that's so important. We have British friends coming over for St. Vincent this year, which we're really pleased about. It will be a great day - given it starts about 12.30 and doesn't finish till about three or four in the morning.
Not sure if Cravant viewed 2013 as a particularly difficult year weather wise compared to others. From our point of view, it seemed to have had some difficult moments, particularly with the flooding.In his address to the collected group of villagers in his review, there was a huge amount of repair work to be done. Cravant is looking good again. Both our 'home' towns have a bad time. In Bradford on Avon some restaurants lost their entire Christmas and New Year trade. That's a devastating blow and not one you can easily recover from. The Fat Fowl that is in prime position in the centre of town, which we often go to, had a metre of water inside and is now shut for the foreseeable future, while repairs are done. They want flood defences put in understandably. Financially it's an awful position to be in.
So with the village apéro party, festivities have really come to a close. The next big event will be at the end of this month with the annual St. Vincent 'do'. It's already sold out. There's a bigger marquee this year thank goodness. It's really built up a fantastic reputation over the years. Takes a huge amount of organising, which the festival committee are used to. But it's maintaining the quality of the event that's so important. We have British friends coming over for St. Vincent this year, which we're really pleased about. It will be a great day - given it starts about 12.30 and doesn't finish till about three or four in the morning.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Words from abroad
We so rely on journalists and Foreign Correspondents for what we see and understand from 'over there'. That daily feed which skillfully deciphers and interpretates from every part of the globe.
I hadn't realised that Hitchcock had made a film in 1940 called Foreign Correspondent, which tells the story of an American reporter, who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain. It involves a continent-wide conspiracy, which eventually leads to war. The film was up for an Academy Award in 1941 along with Hitchcock's Rebecca, which ultimately snatched the title of Best Picture. In his article from a couple of years back, Timothy Garton Ash suggests that although the days of the Foreign Correspondent are over, as Waugh satirised them in his novel Scoop, the craft remains a necessary one. The life also remains a hazardous one.
Reporters Without Borders campaigns vigorously for international press freedom while the Committee to Protect Journalists continues to fight for the protection of journalists worldwide. Both organisations bring the reality of reporting into sharp focus, and the struggles and dangers that can be encountered. 107 journalists and assistants were killed in the course of their work in 2011; 141 killed in 2012 (37 in Syria and 19 in Somalia); 129 killed in 2013. Out of that last figure, 39% of the casualties were in a war zone. A five year summary from the Press Emblem Campaign, covering 2009 - 2013 lists in total 609 journalists killed, which averages out at 122 a year or 1 every 3 days. As of Tuesday 7 January 2014 two journalists have already been killed in this new year.
I'm in the middle of reading China's War with Japan 1937 - 1945 by Rana Mitter. Modern China fascinates and disturbs. I wanted to understand its attitude towards Japan, which appears increasingly turbulent, and China's relationship with the rest of the international community. I came across a review of Mitter's book in The Guardian which suggested there was 'no better guide'. It makes for a riveting read. Rana
Mitter is professor of history and politics of modern China at Oxford
University. A brilliant academic who is an equally brilliant
storyteller, he effortlessly explains the internal politics and key political personalities in China during this time, along with the role the major powers played in the upheaval.
Du Zhong Yuan (1895 - 1943) was one of China's best-known war time journalists and reported in great detail on the Japanese invasion of China. Mitter describes Du's style of reporting in detail, but also examines the climate in which Du worked. How he 'haggled for rides on military convoys or hitched rides' and suggest that while Du was 'clearly having the time of his life', he was also 'exhilarated and shocked in equal measure by all the carnage of people and place, that he saw. In the 30s China had a rich and lively press culture, rather than a nationwide broadcasting network. Du's experiences across the country went into detail, in an attempt to explain precisely what was going on to the Chinese people. The deprivations and hair-raising experiences that Du endured were the same as every shopkeeper and peasant, soldier and government official. So Du's writing was understood and empathetic.
In her paper Report the Nation: Understanding the Role of Foreign Correspondents in 21st Century Public Diplomacy, Cristina Archetti (Lecturer in Politics and Media) suggests that although FCs ' . . shape a country to the eyes of foreign audiences every day through their reporting . . .their role tends to be neglected by both policy makers and researchers." If she's correct, it seems an extraordinarily blinkered approach and a dreadful waste.
Footnote: link to working conditions in China for journalists today
I hadn't realised that Hitchcock had made a film in 1940 called Foreign Correspondent, which tells the story of an American reporter, who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain. It involves a continent-wide conspiracy, which eventually leads to war. The film was up for an Academy Award in 1941 along with Hitchcock's Rebecca, which ultimately snatched the title of Best Picture. In his article from a couple of years back, Timothy Garton Ash suggests that although the days of the Foreign Correspondent are over, as Waugh satirised them in his novel Scoop, the craft remains a necessary one. The life also remains a hazardous one.
Reporters Without Borders campaigns vigorously for international press freedom while the Committee to Protect Journalists continues to fight for the protection of journalists worldwide. Both organisations bring the reality of reporting into sharp focus, and the struggles and dangers that can be encountered. 107 journalists and assistants were killed in the course of their work in 2011; 141 killed in 2012 (37 in Syria and 19 in Somalia); 129 killed in 2013. Out of that last figure, 39% of the casualties were in a war zone. A five year summary from the Press Emblem Campaign, covering 2009 - 2013 lists in total 609 journalists killed, which averages out at 122 a year or 1 every 3 days. As of Tuesday 7 January 2014 two journalists have already been killed in this new year.
In her paper Report the Nation: Understanding the Role of Foreign Correspondents in 21st Century Public Diplomacy, Cristina Archetti (Lecturer in Politics and Media) suggests that although FCs ' . . shape a country to the eyes of foreign audiences every day through their reporting . . .their role tends to be neglected by both policy makers and researchers." If she's correct, it seems an extraordinarily blinkered approach and a dreadful waste.
Footnote: link to working conditions in China for journalists today
Sunday, January 5, 2014
A technical breeze
I'm ill-at-ease with Amazon. And the latest Bezos idea of super-sized mosquito shaped drones to deliver packages does nothing to change my ambivalence. I am trapped and am also being hypocritical. However in the spirit of goodwill for the newly arrived 2014, I acknowledge my two-facedness with a smile. I should perhaps be kinder on myself as well. So I prefer to say I am torn, between acknowledging that the technology that supports the Amazon empire is simply a continuation of the industrial revolution, and my sense of social responsibility.
I use Amazon all the time, largely because of my Kindle, and occasionally for selling as well as buying. Despite the global concept, there are some favourite products that are only available in France through ordering on the internet. It's not a question of being 'Mrs. Safety-pants' and just sticking with the tried and tested. I have tried and tested alternatives across a range of items. But they've not measured up and I've quickly slipped into the easy option of web ordering. These days life is such a technical breeze.
Looking at my track record, I've never been a true shopper. I'm not a natural high street girl prepared to battle my way through crowds for the latest anything. Until recently, my clothes were bought from an independent boutique near to where we were living in London. Food mainly comes from smaller, independent outlets. And it was the same with books. Bath has a fantastic independent bookshop Topping & Company . I do still wander into Waterstones, when I'm near a branch, such as in November, when I went into the Bath store, while Mike was having a tooth à tooth with the dentist. A happy hour wading through books, noting the titles, so that I could download them later on to my Kindle. Unscrupulous behaviour or what.
When we moved from London to Bradford on Avon, we downsized to a house where the amount of space available for keeping books was severely restricted. Similarly in France. Although we have a fair bit of space here, it was never our intention to use that space for book storage. The Kindle was first introduced I think in 2007, which strangeIy coincides with our change in lifestyle. Perhaps subconsciously I needed a Kindle before it even appeared. These days thanks to the internet, I buy all my clothes online, CDs, DVDs and even my camera equipment. Food shopping I prefer to do in person, but certainly in the past when I was immobile for a long time after an accident, online shopping from the local supermarket was a godsend. In other words I make good use of online services.
Here in France, our best local book shop which is really quite extensive, is within the Leclerc complex, just outside the centre of Chinon. There used to be an independent in Chinon, but it was rather disorganised and inevitably closed. Books are also very expensive here or at least it feels like it. I've become used to the book discount concept - in whatever form, which is an intregal part of the British book buying scene, although I'm not sure how much the authors benefit from the arrangement. Kindle of course offers a price reduction and classic novels can frequently be downloaded at nil cost. In this fiercely competitive book market, Topping & Company somehow continue to thrive. The staff are great and so knowledgeable about the book stock which is extensive. And the atmosphere is ideal - not just the cup of coffee, as you browse or read in the compact square meterage that Topping has at its disposal. But there's an extended literary life with talks and events throughout the year, that feature many of the best authors around. I do miss it.
So why do I feel ill-at-ease with Amazon when I've always had such good service.
As a customer there's no question the company is excellent. But the same standards don't appear to be applied to their own HR and PR. The company has run into problems here in France, as the government attempts to protect independent bookshops. The Guardian has cast doubts on Amazon's PR skills particularly towards its staff in an article that appeared early December 2013: www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/01/week-amazon-insider-feature-treatment-employees-work. Panorama got in on the act last year as well, with a journalist planted undercover in the main Swansea depot. The inference from what I've seen is that Amazon isn't looking after its staff. It's a David v. Goliath moment. Not just in terms of what constitutes good business practice, but whether as thirsty on-line consumers we allow what is reasonable and fair to become obscured, to the extent that there are some who must feel their working lives are straight out of a Dicken's novel.
I use Amazon all the time, largely because of my Kindle, and occasionally for selling as well as buying. Despite the global concept, there are some favourite products that are only available in France through ordering on the internet. It's not a question of being 'Mrs. Safety-pants' and just sticking with the tried and tested. I have tried and tested alternatives across a range of items. But they've not measured up and I've quickly slipped into the easy option of web ordering. These days life is such a technical breeze.
Looking at my track record, I've never been a true shopper. I'm not a natural high street girl prepared to battle my way through crowds for the latest anything. Until recently, my clothes were bought from an independent boutique near to where we were living in London. Food mainly comes from smaller, independent outlets. And it was the same with books. Bath has a fantastic independent bookshop Topping & Company . I do still wander into Waterstones, when I'm near a branch, such as in November, when I went into the Bath store, while Mike was having a tooth à tooth with the dentist. A happy hour wading through books, noting the titles, so that I could download them later on to my Kindle. Unscrupulous behaviour or what.
When we moved from London to Bradford on Avon, we downsized to a house where the amount of space available for keeping books was severely restricted. Similarly in France. Although we have a fair bit of space here, it was never our intention to use that space for book storage. The Kindle was first introduced I think in 2007, which strangeIy coincides with our change in lifestyle. Perhaps subconsciously I needed a Kindle before it even appeared. These days thanks to the internet, I buy all my clothes online, CDs, DVDs and even my camera equipment. Food shopping I prefer to do in person, but certainly in the past when I was immobile for a long time after an accident, online shopping from the local supermarket was a godsend. In other words I make good use of online services.
Here in France, our best local book shop which is really quite extensive, is within the Leclerc complex, just outside the centre of Chinon. There used to be an independent in Chinon, but it was rather disorganised and inevitably closed. Books are also very expensive here or at least it feels like it. I've become used to the book discount concept - in whatever form, which is an intregal part of the British book buying scene, although I'm not sure how much the authors benefit from the arrangement. Kindle of course offers a price reduction and classic novels can frequently be downloaded at nil cost. In this fiercely competitive book market, Topping & Company somehow continue to thrive. The staff are great and so knowledgeable about the book stock which is extensive. And the atmosphere is ideal - not just the cup of coffee, as you browse or read in the compact square meterage that Topping has at its disposal. But there's an extended literary life with talks and events throughout the year, that feature many of the best authors around. I do miss it.
So why do I feel ill-at-ease with Amazon when I've always had such good service.
As a customer there's no question the company is excellent. But the same standards don't appear to be applied to their own HR and PR. The company has run into problems here in France, as the government attempts to protect independent bookshops. The Guardian has cast doubts on Amazon's PR skills particularly towards its staff in an article that appeared early December 2013: www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/01/week-amazon-insider-feature-treatment-employees-work. Panorama got in on the act last year as well, with a journalist planted undercover in the main Swansea depot. The inference from what I've seen is that Amazon isn't looking after its staff. It's a David v. Goliath moment. Not just in terms of what constitutes good business practice, but whether as thirsty on-line consumers we allow what is reasonable and fair to become obscured, to the extent that there are some who must feel their working lives are straight out of a Dicken's novel.
Friday, January 3, 2014
The Art of the Insult
Apparently 'the creative ire of our national treasure Mr. S. Fry has been piqued'. Like many others, I just love his use of language. To call someone 'a shiny-faced arse-witted weasel' must bring a feeling of immense satisfaction. Certainly it's one of the joys of the English language, to be able to fling an insult with such linguistic flamboyance.
Whereas Mr. S. Fry has the creative flair and talent to come up with his own insults, I find it more effective to use the Shakespeare Insult Kit. I've been looking on the internet to see if there is a French equivalent - perhaps a Molière Insult Kit or the Voltaire Insult Kit. But no luck so far.
Perhaps this use of language is a particularly British trait. Whether it is or it isn't, every now and again up pops a quotation that presses all the buttons. It gets locked away just in case the perfect situation arises, so it can be rolled out as if it were you're own sublime genius. Trouble is if I attempted to call someone ' a shiny-faced arse-witted weasel', I'd start laughing just at the thought of it and all that would emerge would be 'a shiny-faced arse-witted weasel squeak'.
I have issued an insult with considerable flair - only the once. Tootsie is a great film. I've just checked when it was made. 1982! Thirty-two years ago! That's a 'mammering piece of earth-vexing mumble-news'. My goodness. I am 'plume-plucked' at the thought. There were loads of great one-liners in Tootsie, including '. . . that means you dear, you matcho-shithead', which I was able to blast out one morning at a particularly nasty piece of work - a truly 'vilainous, sheep-biting, tardy-gaited, foot-licker''. Gave me a huge amount of pleasure and for once stunned the 'paunchy, fen-sucked, measle' into complete silence. It was worth the effort.
Whereas Mr. S. Fry has the creative flair and talent to come up with his own insults, I find it more effective to use the Shakespeare Insult Kit. I've been looking on the internet to see if there is a French equivalent - perhaps a Molière Insult Kit or the Voltaire Insult Kit. But no luck so far.
Perhaps this use of language is a particularly British trait. Whether it is or it isn't, every now and again up pops a quotation that presses all the buttons. It gets locked away just in case the perfect situation arises, so it can be rolled out as if it were you're own sublime genius. Trouble is if I attempted to call someone ' a shiny-faced arse-witted weasel', I'd start laughing just at the thought of it and all that would emerge would be 'a shiny-faced arse-witted weasel squeak'.
I have issued an insult with considerable flair - only the once. Tootsie is a great film. I've just checked when it was made. 1982! Thirty-two years ago! That's a 'mammering piece of earth-vexing mumble-news'. My goodness. I am 'plume-plucked' at the thought. There were loads of great one-liners in Tootsie, including '. . . that means you dear, you matcho-shithead', which I was able to blast out one morning at a particularly nasty piece of work - a truly 'vilainous, sheep-biting, tardy-gaited, foot-licker''. Gave me a huge amount of pleasure and for once stunned the 'paunchy, fen-sucked, measle' into complete silence. It was worth the effort.
A different type of holiday
I'm guessing that since last November (at least in the UK), there's been a steady increase in summer holiday marketing promotion. Not so aware of it over here, although I'm sure that's down to me. All those special inserts, the single column ads, full page spreads, on line morsel sized snippets of summer promise that litter the internet. We're assaulted from every conceivable direction to go on holiday. We have friends who are inveterate cruisers and have pretty much travelled all over the globe, others with children where the need for sun and sand is imperative. I've a Uni friend who is in the middle of a six week skiing holiday with her husband, another who has just spent Christmas and New Year in Thailand. These days every season, region and city, every type of activity and mode of transport have been moulded into holiday packages of some kind or another. We're so used it, that it's easy to forget what an extraordinary explosion of possibilities have developed over the last few decades, and that it wasn't so long ago for the idea of a holiday - certainly abroad - to be unheard of.
I've just come across what is described as a revolutionary concept for travellers passionate about politics and current affairs. Both of us are 'doer' types rather than 'lolling about on the beach' types. So ears pricked up, slightly warily, on reading about Political Tours. Just what was this? Cruising with an edge? Well yes, so it seems and a whole lot more.
"We offer group tours and tailor-made itineraries in destinations around the world". "Current Affairs at first hand". The company is currently taking bookings for Mandela's Dream - A Political Tour which runs Jan-Feb 2014. A Mandela's Legacy tour is also available. Here are some of their others:
Greece and the Euro tour, North Korea-DPRK Tour, London and the Financial Crisis tour. New tours coming up are looking at Scottish Independence, Israel and Palestine. Other possibilities include setting-up fund raising trips, in-depth study tours and awareness campaigns.
Political Tours launched in 2009 by Nicholas Wood. His biog makes very interesting reading. A top-flight journalist. Yes there are the usual trappings - good food, good accommodation etc., However the core aim is 'bridging the information gap'. We are bombarded on a daily basis with news items from all over the world, so much so that it's impossible to keep up with or really evaluate what's going on. To quote directly from the website:
"We meet villagers, sit down with families in communities, and meet with local leaders.
Between meetings and visits, analysts, diplomats and journalists provide excellent analysis. Participants also get to meet the politicians and international officials in the countries concerned. Tour members can pose their own questions and make up their own minds."
Clearly not your average package holiday.
I've just come across what is described as a revolutionary concept for travellers passionate about politics and current affairs. Both of us are 'doer' types rather than 'lolling about on the beach' types. So ears pricked up, slightly warily, on reading about Political Tours. Just what was this? Cruising with an edge? Well yes, so it seems and a whole lot more.
"We offer group tours and tailor-made itineraries in destinations around the world". "Current Affairs at first hand". The company is currently taking bookings for Mandela's Dream - A Political Tour which runs Jan-Feb 2014. A Mandela's Legacy tour is also available. Here are some of their others:
Greece and the Euro tour, North Korea-DPRK Tour, London and the Financial Crisis tour. New tours coming up are looking at Scottish Independence, Israel and Palestine. Other possibilities include setting-up fund raising trips, in-depth study tours and awareness campaigns.
Political Tours launched in 2009 by Nicholas Wood. His biog makes very interesting reading. A top-flight journalist. Yes there are the usual trappings - good food, good accommodation etc., However the core aim is 'bridging the information gap'. We are bombarded on a daily basis with news items from all over the world, so much so that it's impossible to keep up with or really evaluate what's going on. To quote directly from the website:
"We meet villagers, sit down with families in communities, and meet with local leaders.
Between meetings and visits, analysts, diplomats and journalists provide excellent analysis. Participants also get to meet the politicians and international officials in the countries concerned. Tour members can pose their own questions and make up their own minds."
Clearly not your average package holiday.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
A taste of New Year
Today New Year's Day, we went into Chinon for a late lunch at Les Années 30. It's somewhere we go to quite often. Although having said that, with all the upheaval of the last few months, we worked out that we hadn't been since July 2013. Crazy. When I booked the table for today, they wanted to know where we'd been. Anyway, we'll go again soon.
It was terrific as always and also full.
Christmas and New Year in France has been such fun. Through the kindness and generosity of neighbours here in Cravant, we have had a terrific time. We're surrounded by lovely people. To all our friends here in France and in the UK, a very happy New Year to you all, and may 2014 be everything you would like it to be.
Hilary and Mike xxxx
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