What amazes me about the car in this picture is how little of it is left after being burnt out, and how (more…)
Tag: Paris
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The Perfect Spring Day
Paris is gloriously sunny this weekend so I updated a few websites this morning, then headed up (more…)
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Springtime in Paris
When I found my seat on the Eurostar I found a family of four were occupying all of the four seats in a cluster including mine. What happens is that one kid goes free so the train company just doesn’t give them a seat, no wonder people stop breeding. I felt so guilty about turfing a kid out of my seat that I went and sat in one of the corridor seats near the luggage. This inspired people to come and visit their baggage at regular intervals as a loitering fellow in the luggage bays is a sure sign of mischief.
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Allez Les Blancs
I managed to squeeze myself into the back of a bar where I was the only English supporter, and shouted my fuzzy head off for the entire match. So much so that I am sure it gave the boys in white some much needed support.
We won.
There are some places to be on the planet at certain times..the Olympics, the birth of your child etc, This was one of them, and a certain example of the necessity of a gypsy lifestyle.
What a game. What an atmosphere.
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Paris Rugby Tickets
I was out last night in St-Germain-Des-Pres where the good cheer and singing was refreshing. Well the singing was anything but refreshing but it was all in the best possible intention and this isn’t a welsh rugby match after all.
We are a confused bunch I must say. The English tending to sing Irish rebel songs in French bars to cry god for Harry, England and St George. Huzzah!
I haven’t got a ticket for tonight’s match. To start with a tried with little success…but after I saw that it will be more fun in the Paris streets or in a local bar I decided not to bother and spend the £500 on something more useful than a ticket. The Eiffel Tower has been decorated for the event with some huge video screens erected for the match to be watched on. That’s where we will go.
For the French this is a big match. The president has pinned his colours to the mast of rugby and he wants a mandate for change in a country that is experiencing economic changes on the scale of the UK in the eighties. There are also a lot of people who point out to the right wingers here that it is black and white people playing nicely together that wins for the good of France. A sporting win on this scale makes a difference, it is like ancient Rome in a modern setting.
A good game will make everyone winners, no matter who loses.
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Paris In The Rain
I managed to get most of my daily chores out of the way as the rain pours down outside the Paris flat. I post to a few message boards about SEO and web design issues, and I am trying to get into the rythm of updating this blog daily. So here we are.
My train home is at 14.43 from the Gare De Nord so I want to get some work done before I go. I have an ecommerce store to quote for, which is for an American religious group. I seem to be getting a lot of requests from god fearing folk, which must reflect on my good Kharma so watch this space ;0)
I have also been reading up (Wikipedia etc) on people like the spiral tribe as they came up in conversation with a friend recently.
I worked with one of the founder members (Mark) just before the whole free dance scene kicked off. We worked on a small building site together, only for a short while, but he did make quite an impression because he came across as genuinely lovely.
Mark also seemed to exude an inner confidence that was infectious. I found myself quite jealous of it at the time because I was insecure and not ready to fight the system in the way he did. I spread my wings by travelling the globe for five years, and found my own way of coming to terms with existence later on.
I remember bumping into Mark at a later date when asked for me to donate a flotation tank, which I had bought to set up a business at the time, to one of the spiral tribes indoor events. I said no because I had invested £3000 in it and didn’t want it to be towed off by the police, which in hindsight had probably saved me a few quid, but had I done it it might have led to some great experiences. Having said that I wasn’t really too attracted to the scene chasing free parties through muddy fields, and never really believed that techno would unite us all.
Ecstasy, however, was a revolution in itself, causing people regard each other in an altogether loving way that was so different to the alcohol and whiz fueled punk generation. The kindness it fostered might have been drug fueled, but it changed a generation for the better, and now there is an undercurrent of love that will not go away. Having said that, changing the world comes in larger doses of self awareness. The disillusion caused when the party is over can be as harmful as it was good, so as in all things balance is needed.
I got the feeling that Mark was strong enough to ride the storms. If you get to read this mate (Network23 seem to have a Paris location), let’s meet up for a croissant and a chin wag.
It all is unfolding just as it should.
Right, back to cyber blogs.
I am going to pack up here and head off onto the streets for some 3d contact. The net does have its limitations, and I have done this gypsy’s work for the day.
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Paris
It’s deserted here.
The French all go away on holiday for the month of August leaving a skeleton staff in Paris. It’s like some post apocalyptic movie where the streets are ours, tinned goods can be fetched at will from empty supermarkets. I was here only two weeks ago in the blistering heat, when the banks of the Canal St Martin were thick with people. Today we even managed to get into Antoine & Lili’s shop without a fight.
In between trips out I managed to get a little of my redesign done for my website templates store. I am making it a lot more web 2.0, but you’ll see. But all in all I am staying away from my vaio.
So that’s all for now…
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Hereford to Paris
It’s my last day in Hereford and I have just gotten used to the quiet. It is no longer a roar, but sooths now.
This morning I woke early and popped on top of a hill by the house. A local farmer was collecting what looked like mushrooms. The contrasting light of the morning, the clear air, so different from the London I inhabit right now.
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