Sold the car, kept the calendar on paper, and somehow squeezed a birthday, Le Mans, a nougat-fueled family reunion, and the season’s first proper beach days into 30 short days — June went out swinging, and July’s already raising a glass to top it. Click in for the full, slightly sunburnt recap.
What do you do when it’s 40°C in Carcassonne, your best friends are visiting, the pool is warm, the peaches are perfect, and the only responsible decision you make all week is going to bed before 3am — and even that one fails? You write about it, apparently.
Netflix and I have a complicated relationship. I resent the endless scrolling, the autoplay trailers, and the algorithmic nudges toward shows I will never watch. But last week, Netflix did something I grudgingly have to admire: it quietly uploaded the entire James Bond back catalogue. All 25 films. And so began the most productive week of my retirement — binge-watching 007 in strict chronological order, from Connery’s first raised eyebrow in 1962 to Craig’s final bow in 2021. I have opinions. Strong ones. And a spreadsheet.
☀️ A Basket Full of Mediterranean Sunshine
Sun, sausages, and the quiet heroism of the designated driver.
A new belt, a new grandbaby, and a vineyard-owning relative who picked the wine: one weekend in Provence had it all — and a Mont Ventoux descent that nearly ended in disaster.
73 years ago today, I was born on a Sunday that also happened to be Father’s Day. Today, the calendar winks at me with that same coincidence again. How many times has life handed me this exact moment since then? I had to find out — and it’s rarer than you’d think.
From the roar of Le Mans to the quirks of everyday life: the stories that defined Week 24.
Some cars are more than machines. Join me for one last lap with a faithful companion as I prepare to hand over the keys and close a chapter nearly half a century in the making.
