Monthly Archives: August 2025

🍁Les feuilles… déjà?🍂 🇫🇷🇬🇧

Posted on August 16, 2025 by admin

“Mid-August, and the plane trees are already shedding their leaves like it’s October. Blame the heat, blame the drought — but it feels as though autumn has slipped in early, right in the middle of a heatwave. Between the air-con, … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry & Literature, Reflections & Mood, Seasons & Nature | Tagged canicule, early autumn, falling leaves, Heatwave, melancholy, plane trees, poetry, summer heat, Verlaine | Leave a comment

Lost in translation 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪

Posted on August 15, 2025 by admin

Lost in Translation (Inside My Own Head) – Ever wondered what happens when your thoughts speak French, your keyboard insists on English, and a stubborn corner of your brain still mumbles in German? Welcome to my multilingual brain, where coffee … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Culture | Tagged Bilingual brain, Coffee before thinking, Cultural identity, English language, Expat stories, French language, German language, Keyboard shortcuts, Language quirks, Language switching, Lost in translation, Multilingual dreams, Multilingual humor, Thinking in another language, Trilingual | 1 Comment

European accent 🇫🇷🇬🇧🇩🇪

Posted on August 15, 2025 by admin

When a Hollywood cop described a suspect as having a “European accent,” I nearly spilled my café crème. From French chic to Scottish grit, Europe’s accents are as varied as its landscapes—yet somehow, we’re all lumped into one. A witty … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture & Identity | Tagged * European Accents, Accent Recognition, American Movies, British English, Cultural Diversity, French Accent, Geography in Film, Hollywood Movies, Italian Accent, Language Diversity, Linguistic Stereotypes, Media Shortcuts, Scottish Accent, Spanish Accent, United in Diversity | Leave a comment

Midnight zapping 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on August 14, 2025 by admin

A late-night flick through French TV led me straight to Joe Cocker — and straight back to a free lakeside concert in Hannover, a reckless scooter ride for love, and a few memories best left in the “classified” file. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Nostalgia, Souvenirs | Tagged 70s music memories, Accidental adventures, ARTE TV, Expo 2000, Floating stage concerts, French late-night TV, Gendarmerie encounters, Hannover concerts, Joe Cocker, Love stories with a soundtrack, Maschsee, Nostalgia, Scooter adventures, Woodstock 1969 | Leave a comment

Hot enough 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on August 12, 2025 by admin

“When the thermometer hits 43°C and your wife’s birthday falls on the same day, there’s only one sensible thing to do: head for the coast, order dangerously pink cocktails, and let the sea breeze do the rest. Here’s how we … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations & Special Days, Life in France | Tagged * Narbonne Plage, Birthday lunch, Coastal France travel, Foodie adventures in France, French beach dining, French Riviera vibes, Hot weather escapes, L’Hospitalet Beach, Languedoc restaurants, Long French lunches, Mediterranean coast, Poolside afternoons, Seafood restaurants, Spicy Margarita Rosé, Summer heatwave | Leave a comment

La Sauvageraie 🇫🇷🇬🇧

Posted on August 12, 2025 by admin

“La Sauvageraie wasn’t just a house — it was four floors of elegance, chaos, music, and mischief. But my true kingdom was the attic: a teenage paradise of Pink Floyd, secret drawers, and whispered midnight conversations… and one unforgettable laugh … Continue reading →

Posted in Nostalgia, Personal Stories, Relationships | Tagged 1970s parties, Aline, Attic room, Coming of age stories, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Danish tobacco pipes, Family home, First kiss, First love, Growing up, Hi-fi stereo, La Sauvageraie, Parents and teenagers, Pink Floyd, Sibling life, Teen nostalgia, Teenage bedroom, Vintage telephones, Vinyl records | Leave a comment

Le Prado 🇫🇷

Posted on August 10, 2025 by admin

“From childhood evenings at Marseille’s Prado to hitchhiking in the ‘70s — and even a chance encounter 6,000 km away in Philadelphia — the same street, the same family pharmacy, and the same whiff of pastis kept finding me. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Nostalgia, Souvenirs | Leave a comment

The week that was 32-2025 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on August 10, 2025 by admin

Quiet… Too Quiet?A week of long lunches, firefighting planes, accidental website deletion, and mountain detours—because even “quiet” weeks in my world come with Bourbon temptations, Top Gun moments, and the occasional digital catastrophe.

Posted in Life in France, Personal Projects, Weekly Journal | Tagged Aerial Firefighting, Aude, Blogging Mishaps, Camon, Canadair, Forest Fires, Heatwave, Lac de Montbel, Montolieu, New Domain, Pool Days, Pyrenees, Road Trip, sauvageraie.com, South of France, Tramontane, Week in Review | Leave a comment

Massalia 🇫🇷

Posted on August 9, 2025 by admin

Marseille dans le sang, Paris sur la carte d’identité. Entre les étés ensoleillés chez ma grand-mère Alphonsine, les marchés parfumés, les après-midis à la Pointe Rouge et les histoires hautes en couleur de tonton Maurice, chaque souvenir est une bouffée … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture & Identity, Life in France, Nostalgia | Tagged Calanques, Citroen DS, Cours Julien, Dauphine, Grand-Hôtel de Noailles, Lavender & gratin smells, Marseille, Mistral Train, Pastis, Provence lifestyle, Southern accent, Summer childhood, Vieux-Port | Leave a comment

JJ vs. the Machines (I) 🇬🇧🇫🇷

Posted on August 8, 2025 by admin

When Technology Stages a MutinyBefore sunrise, three keyboards, two computers, and one overbooked morning decided to collapse in unison—forcing me into a pre-coffee battery hunt while a window cleaner waged war on my glass. Forget caffeine; nothing wakes you up … Continue reading →

Posted in Home Life, Tech Troubles | Tagged * keyboards, backup computer, battery problems, coffee first, domestic comedy, early morning, gadget rebellion, laptop, rechargeable devices, spare batteries, tablet, tech mishap, window cleaning | Leave a comment

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