Monthly Archives:

grafitti from 1866, a bridge, a boat, the sun and the sea and white horses …

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

Some last photos from Charente Maritime! The bridge is the Tonnay Charente 623m suspension bridge, built in 1842, and the grafitti comes from under the bridge and dates to 1866. The sea/coast is the Atlantic and  the rest is history … Continue reading →

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éolienne (or wind turbines), would you want them in you backgarden? and a couple in white …SIVOUPLAIT!

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

There are more and more wind turbines in the countryside here in Charente Maritime. Many locals hate them. They say they are unsightly and noisy. They don’t spoil the vista for me but I don’t live here permanently – and … Continue reading →

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Indignez vous! (and Marilyn Monroe, bees and boules and car boot sales)

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

I am still in France on holiday and the other day I came across this sign “Indignez vous!” – in a toilet no less!  It happens to be the name of a pamphlet written by  Stephane Hessel, urging the French … Continue reading →

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St Andrew’s and St George’s West at Festival Time (Aug 2012)

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

Every year  the people at St Andrew’s and St George’s West in Edinburgh host a wonderful programme of amazing music, books and conversation during the  Festival Time (6 – 24 August 2012) As part of this  exciting programme  they are holding … Continue reading →

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churches and sunflowers …

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

I am still on holiday in France and from the pictures you’ll see we’ve been visiting a few churches – Charente Maritime has heaps of very old ones.  These are just a tiny sample   Fouras        

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welcome to Orange France

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

I am on holiday in a wee village in Charente Maritime in rural France for a few weeks. The internet and phone were supposed to be connected for when we arrived. they are not. We’ve been assured by Orange (France’s … Continue reading →

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Dava Sobel, Dr John C. Taylor and grasshoppers…

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

There are three reasons why I went to listen to Dava Sobel in conversation with Dr John C. Taylor at The National  Museum of Scotland yesterday evening: 1) My  husband is a scientist who loves clocks and astronomy. 2) When … Continue reading →

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should we need to include our date of birth to enter the Stylist and Faber writing competition?

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

I came across this condition under the rules and conditions of entry for the 2012  FABER/STYLIST CRIME  FICTION COMPETITION: a) Each entrant should submit the first 6,000 words of a crime novel or thriller, an outline (no more than 300 … Continue reading →

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what was the scariest thing you ever did as a child?

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

This building is not curved, that’s just the way the panoramic photo came out, but imagine it very long and straight.  There are three entrances to the building: one at the beginning, the middle (under the TO LET sign) and … Continue reading →

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would a spelling mistake in a book make you stop reading it?

Posted on by Marianne Wheelaghan

Until my friend, who is French, pointed out the spelling mistake* in the sign above, I had never noticed it. Now whenever I walk past it, I have a chuckle to myself. Does it matter there is a tiny error in … Continue reading →

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