Columnists

Carrie On Hong Kong

Protest march, rally, riot, violence, revolution of our time, liberate Hong Kong, democracy, f**k the po-po, are not the sort of words or phrases I ever thought it would be necessary to learn in hitherto peaceful Hong Kong, indeed my

August In Tuscany: Taking Our Breath Away

August in Tuscany can take your breath away. Yes, it’s beautiful, but in reality, I am talking about the heat, humidity and lack of breathable air! Even in properties like our own, which is old and built of thick stone

Summer In Tuscany

Well, here we are in mid-July, enjoying a couple of fresher days after a few weeks of heat wave. Unfortunately, it won’t last long as we are expecting temperatures to rise up to 37 degrees again next week.So, it is

Umbrella Movement

Growing up in 1960s England, the term Umbrella Movement could only mean one thing: The Avengers TV series and its suave hero, secret agent John Steed, effectively disarming many an assailant with a swiftly yielded British brolly. Today, courtesy of

June Is Bustin’ Out In The Morvan

Hands up all those expats who remember June is Bustin’ Out All Over from Carousel. Good old Rodgers and Hammerstein! They should have added a verse about local happenings. On June 9 St Père’s annual Le Jardin dans la Rue

The Road To Hong Kong

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a teeming conurbation and wondered, somewhat despairingly, where on earth do all these people come from? Well, here in densely populated Hong Kong you can find yourself contemplating that little conundrum

The Fun Starts Here

May in the Morvan! Bluebells, fields of golden oilseed rape, the first lawnmower of spring – and the Morvan’s answer to the British car boot sale, village fête or antiques fair: the vide-greniers, brocantes, foires and fêtes. Most sizeable villages

April In Tuscany

Welcome to my new look column. For those who have followed my column over the last few years will know that I have historically written about the previous month and the happenings therein. My new column is looking at the

April In The Morvan

Poisson d’Avril! On April 1 French children stick a paper fish – a Poisson d’Avril – on the back of an unsuspecting victim as a prank. No KICK ME ? How tame can you get? Dennis the Menace could teach