La Vie en Prose 📖 🖊️ 🖥️ 🏴☠️
@lavieenprose.bsky.social
40+ years in IT : coder, sys eng, cybersec researcher
BA(Hons) Modern Language Studies
TEFL
Proofreader
Adoper ot abused & abandoned ponies
Cancer surviver
A decent person doing her best for the world around her
Made in Britain Saved in Brittany
BA(Hons) Modern Language Studies
TEFL
Proofreader
Adoper ot abused & abandoned ponies
Cancer surviver
A decent person doing her best for the world around her
Made in Britain Saved in Brittany
“To have a second language is to have a second soul.”
(Charlemagne)
I am different people when I speak English, French, Italian
However, I doubt I will ever master Breton 😎
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/26/kneecap-europe-minority-languages
(Charlemagne)
I am different people when I speak English, French, Italian
However, I doubt I will ever master Breton 😎
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/26/kneecap-europe-minority-languages
‘We’re a bit jealous of Kneecap’: how Europe’s minority tongues are facing the digital future | Stephen Burgen
What does it mean to lose a language, and what does it take to save it? Those were the big questions being asked in Barcelona recently, says freelance writer Stephen Burgen
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 AM
“To have a second language is to have a second soul.”
(Charlemagne)
I am different people when I speak English, French, Italian
However, I doubt I will ever master Breton 😎
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/26/kneecap-europe-minority-languages
(Charlemagne)
I am different people when I speak English, French, Italian
However, I doubt I will ever master Breton 😎
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/26/kneecap-europe-minority-languages
I listened to this in bed at 4 am this morning and it was good
Hi everyone! I am really proud to have taken part in this Radio 4 programme about agoraphobia. So if you want something in the background while you're making your dinner, please do tune in! 🙏
p.s. I've no idea what made the edits so I'm a little scared!
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
p.s. I've no idea what made the edits so I'm a little scared!
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Illuminated, The Little Box Which Contains the World
Emily Berry's exploration of agoraphobia.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 5:39 AM
I listened to this in bed at 4 am this morning and it was good
Socrates is saying, "I know you have apples in that basket. Please give a poor starving pony apples!"
Sadly he can't have many apples, too much sugar, but he does have a twice-daily treat of turnips, cougettes, carrots and celery
Sadly he can't have many apples, too much sugar, but he does have a twice-daily treat of turnips, cougettes, carrots and celery
November 25, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Socrates is saying, "I know you have apples in that basket. Please give a poor starving pony apples!"
Sadly he can't have many apples, too much sugar, but he does have a twice-daily treat of turnips, cougettes, carrots and celery
Sadly he can't have many apples, too much sugar, but he does have a twice-daily treat of turnips, cougettes, carrots and celery
Wonderful
"“I have never really met anything like her unselfishness and patience and kindness and shall feel deeply in her debt as long as I live.”
"– she was feisty, outrageous, kind, loving and mischievous. Lucky old heaven getting such a dazzling newcomer.”
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
"“I have never really met anything like her unselfishness and patience and kindness and shall feel deeply in her debt as long as I live.”
"– she was feisty, outrageous, kind, loving and mischievous. Lucky old heaven getting such a dazzling newcomer.”
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
Jill Freud, Love Actually actor and inspiration for Lucy in Narnia books, dies aged 98
The actor ran her own theatre company and was described by her daughter Emma as ‘feisty, outrageous, kind, loving and mischievous’
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Wonderful
"“I have never really met anything like her unselfishness and patience and kindness and shall feel deeply in her debt as long as I live.”
"– she was feisty, outrageous, kind, loving and mischievous. Lucky old heaven getting such a dazzling newcomer.”
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
"“I have never really met anything like her unselfishness and patience and kindness and shall feel deeply in her debt as long as I live.”
"– she was feisty, outrageous, kind, loving and mischievous. Lucky old heaven getting such a dazzling newcomer.”
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
I am fighting a losing battle with buttercps in the paddocks
This week I'll be spreading lime, I'm told that buttercups do not like alkaline soil
What with sycamore leaves and seeds gathering and buttercup control I'm fully occupied
Never let it be said I do not do my best for these guys
This week I'll be spreading lime, I'm told that buttercups do not like alkaline soil
What with sycamore leaves and seeds gathering and buttercup control I'm fully occupied
Never let it be said I do not do my best for these guys
November 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I am fighting a losing battle with buttercps in the paddocks
This week I'll be spreading lime, I'm told that buttercups do not like alkaline soil
What with sycamore leaves and seeds gathering and buttercup control I'm fully occupied
Never let it be said I do not do my best for these guys
This week I'll be spreading lime, I'm told that buttercups do not like alkaline soil
What with sycamore leaves and seeds gathering and buttercup control I'm fully occupied
Never let it be said I do not do my best for these guys
But, driving home!
Oh My Giddy Aunt!
I got lost countless times
Circled a church somewhere twice, passed a restaurant in a little village twice, turned round six times, found myself by the horse statue in Kerin four times, almost went off-piste several times (mud and leaves on the road)...
Oh My Giddy Aunt!
I got lost countless times
Circled a church somewhere twice, passed a restaurant in a little village twice, turned round six times, found myself by the horse statue in Kerin four times, almost went off-piste several times (mud and leaves on the road)...
You know, with all the colourful paintwork and gold statues, bells, gongs, books, prayer mats and stuff, what appealed to me and made me smile were the little toadstools poking through the grass. So many varieties, so small, so fragile and so impermanent
November 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
But, driving home!
Oh My Giddy Aunt!
I got lost countless times
Circled a church somewhere twice, passed a restaurant in a little village twice, turned round six times, found myself by the horse statue in Kerin four times, almost went off-piste several times (mud and leaves on the road)...
Oh My Giddy Aunt!
I got lost countless times
Circled a church somewhere twice, passed a restaurant in a little village twice, turned round six times, found myself by the horse statue in Kerin four times, almost went off-piste several times (mud and leaves on the road)...
I took a day out yesterday (after pony patrol) to visit a friend in, wait for it, Finistère
Look, I know I live in a pretty rural, ok, a very rural part of France, sorry, Brittany
And I know it can be a tad wild and unruly round here but for hardcore renegade you need to go to Finistère...
Look, I know I live in a pretty rural, ok, a very rural part of France, sorry, Brittany
And I know it can be a tad wild and unruly round here but for hardcore renegade you need to go to Finistère...
November 16, 2025 at 5:46 AM
I took a day out yesterday (after pony patrol) to visit a friend in, wait for it, Finistère
Look, I know I live in a pretty rural, ok, a very rural part of France, sorry, Brittany
And I know it can be a tad wild and unruly round here but for hardcore renegade you need to go to Finistère...
Look, I know I live in a pretty rural, ok, a very rural part of France, sorry, Brittany
And I know it can be a tad wild and unruly round here but for hardcore renegade you need to go to Finistère...
Miss Daisy thinks I have a hot date
I told her I would only consider going on a date if were with a 70 year old Icelandic man with his own herd of horses
That would be hot indeed
I told her I would only consider going on a date if were with a 70 year old Icelandic man with his own herd of horses
That would be hot indeed
November 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Miss Daisy thinks I have a hot date
I told her I would only consider going on a date if were with a 70 year old Icelandic man with his own herd of horses
That would be hot indeed
I told her I would only consider going on a date if were with a 70 year old Icelandic man with his own herd of horses
That would be hot indeed
Remember when such storms were infrequent events?
Now we seem to have a major storm a week in autumn/winter
Climate crisis and do not let anyone tell you otherwise
Now we seem to have a major storm a week in autumn/winter
Climate crisis and do not let anyone tell you otherwise
Storm Claudia could bring wind gusts of 60-70 mph today for parts of northwest England and northwest Wales
This includes cross winds for some major roads such as the M6, which will result in dangerous driving conditions
Warnings are in force, so please take care ⚠️
This includes cross winds for some major roads such as the M6, which will result in dangerous driving conditions
Warnings are in force, so please take care ⚠️
November 14, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Remember when such storms were infrequent events?
Now we seem to have a major storm a week in autumn/winter
Climate crisis and do not let anyone tell you otherwise
Now we seem to have a major storm a week in autumn/winter
Climate crisis and do not let anyone tell you otherwise
Lots of British birds prefer Brittany to the UK now 😉
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Flamingo missing from Cornwall park appears to be in France
New photos show a flamingo on a beach in Finistere, which could be the one missing from Cornwall.
www.bbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Lots of British birds prefer Brittany to the UK now 😉
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
I've learned that our local pet/house sitter guy has availabilties in June 2026. I am tempted to book him for a long w/e. Where will I go? Probablty Ploumanac'h 😉
Two nights at the Hotel Europe in my fav room with the sea view, swimming, kayaking, hiking and dinners cooked by someone else = heaven
Two nights at the Hotel Europe in my fav room with the sea view, swimming, kayaking, hiking and dinners cooked by someone else = heaven
November 8, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I've learned that our local pet/house sitter guy has availabilties in June 2026. I am tempted to book him for a long w/e. Where will I go? Probablty Ploumanac'h 😉
Two nights at the Hotel Europe in my fav room with the sea view, swimming, kayaking, hiking and dinners cooked by someone else = heaven
Two nights at the Hotel Europe in my fav room with the sea view, swimming, kayaking, hiking and dinners cooked by someone else = heaven
I did morning pony duties early today because high tide was at 08:30. I still missed it but there was plenty of sea when I did arrive at 9:30
It was quite cold but I swam for 30 minutes with a couple of breaks for hot coffee to warm me
It was lovely, like old times...
It was quite cold but I swam for 30 minutes with a couple of breaks for hot coffee to warm me
It was lovely, like old times...
November 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I did morning pony duties early today because high tide was at 08:30. I still missed it but there was plenty of sea when I did arrive at 9:30
It was quite cold but I swam for 30 minutes with a couple of breaks for hot coffee to warm me
It was lovely, like old times...
It was quite cold but I swam for 30 minutes with a couple of breaks for hot coffee to warm me
It was lovely, like old times...
Being 69 is posing challenges for me
Not least, society's expectations of how I should be/act
My mother/grandmothers were old women at 60
Me, I moved to France alone, changed careers, took up sea swimming, kayaking and rock/tree climbing, bought a horse at 68 and am thinking of going back to work
Not least, society's expectations of how I should be/act
My mother/grandmothers were old women at 60
Me, I moved to France alone, changed careers, took up sea swimming, kayaking and rock/tree climbing, bought a horse at 68 and am thinking of going back to work
See, 86 years old and dividing his time between a hotel in Vermont and his ranch in New Mexico
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
The last von Trapp child is 86 - and is still running their US lodge
The last living von Trapp child still helps run the family resort in the mountains of New England – a little piece of Austria inspired by The Sound of Music.
www.bbc.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Being 69 is posing challenges for me
Not least, society's expectations of how I should be/act
My mother/grandmothers were old women at 60
Me, I moved to France alone, changed careers, took up sea swimming, kayaking and rock/tree climbing, bought a horse at 68 and am thinking of going back to work
Not least, society's expectations of how I should be/act
My mother/grandmothers were old women at 60
Me, I moved to France alone, changed careers, took up sea swimming, kayaking and rock/tree climbing, bought a horse at 68 and am thinking of going back to work
See, 86 years old and dividing his time between a hotel in Vermont and his ranch in New Mexico
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
The last von Trapp child is 86 - and is still running their US lodge
The last living von Trapp child still helps run the family resort in the mountains of New England – a little piece of Austria inspired by The Sound of Music.
www.bbc.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:07 AM
See, 86 years old and dividing his time between a hotel in Vermont and his ranch in New Mexico
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
So I could be 70 and divide my time between a pink castle at the coast and a horse sanctuary inland? 😜
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
The pink castle (aka le château de Coastèrés) is for sale because the current owner says he is too old to keep it
I'd cope with it, and I'm nearing my 70th year
The ad says it's on 'une île privé' and that is not true
I've been wandering all over it for 8 years
Obsessed?
Moi?
Absolument!
I'd cope with it, and I'm nearing my 70th year
The ad says it's on 'une île privé' and that is not true
I've been wandering all over it for 8 years
Obsessed?
Moi?
Absolument!
November 7, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The pink castle (aka le château de Coastèrés) is for sale because the current owner says he is too old to keep it
I'd cope with it, and I'm nearing my 70th year
The ad says it's on 'une île privé' and that is not true
I've been wandering all over it for 8 years
Obsessed?
Moi?
Absolument!
I'd cope with it, and I'm nearing my 70th year
The ad says it's on 'une île privé' and that is not true
I've been wandering all over it for 8 years
Obsessed?
Moi?
Absolument!
It's been 10 years since I took my stressed-out, cancer-riddled, broken body off to Iceland to ride horses up volcanoes, and 8 years since I last took a holiday (also to Iceland) and I think I deserve one in 2026 to celebrate being 70 and still alive
N'est-ce pas?
N'est-ce pas?
November 7, 2025 at 3:27 PM
It's been 10 years since I took my stressed-out, cancer-riddled, broken body off to Iceland to ride horses up volcanoes, and 8 years since I last took a holiday (also to Iceland) and I think I deserve one in 2026 to celebrate being 70 and still alive
N'est-ce pas?
N'est-ce pas?
And if I am very lucky I may get to enjoy some wave watching
November 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
And if I am very lucky I may get to enjoy some wave watching
W/E Plans
1. Win the lottery
2. Buy a pink castle
3. And a herd of Icelandic horses
Or, I will drive to the coast and swim out to said-castle while dreaming of said-horses
1. Win the lottery
2. Buy a pink castle
3. And a herd of Icelandic horses
Or, I will drive to the coast and swim out to said-castle while dreaming of said-horses
November 7, 2025 at 2:59 PM
W/E Plans
1. Win the lottery
2. Buy a pink castle
3. And a herd of Icelandic horses
Or, I will drive to the coast and swim out to said-castle while dreaming of said-horses
1. Win the lottery
2. Buy a pink castle
3. And a herd of Icelandic horses
Or, I will drive to the coast and swim out to said-castle while dreaming of said-horses
Well...
Self-publishing history. Dickens published A Tale of Two Cities in his periodical. Melville, Hardy, and Twain all subsidized early works, paying publishers to issue them. And Leonard and Virginia Woolf started Hogarth Press to publish Virginia's fiction that was too innovative for mainstream houses.
November 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Well...
I have now collected a total of 5482 sycamore seeds from the paddock to protect my guys, and yes, I am still counting
November 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
I have now collected a total of 5482 sycamore seeds from the paddock to protect my guys, and yes, I am still counting
Now if you were to come to Paris...
But people, these are two of my favourite authors and really lovely people so even if you can't make it, please get to know their books
But people, these are two of my favourite authors and really lovely people so even if you can't make it, please get to know their books
CAMBRIDGE! We are coming! Come see the wonderful Antti Tuomainen and I this Monday, Nov 10th at 18:30 at Bodies in the Bookshop. Dark Icelandic crime meets funny Finnish thrillers — the north in all its contrasts.
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
#authorsontour
@orendabooks.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Now if you were to come to Paris...
But people, these are two of my favourite authors and really lovely people so even if you can't make it, please get to know their books
But people, these are two of my favourite authors and really lovely people so even if you can't make it, please get to know their books
I called in at the pharmacy to buy some medication for Socrates
The woman at the till asked to see his carte vitale - the card required to obtain medical treatment
I showed her this photo of Socrates and said that sadly his healthcare is not covered by the French state
The woman at the till asked to see his carte vitale - the card required to obtain medical treatment
I showed her this photo of Socrates and said that sadly his healthcare is not covered by the French state
November 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I called in at the pharmacy to buy some medication for Socrates
The woman at the till asked to see his carte vitale - the card required to obtain medical treatment
I showed her this photo of Socrates and said that sadly his healthcare is not covered by the French state
The woman at the till asked to see his carte vitale - the card required to obtain medical treatment
I showed her this photo of Socrates and said that sadly his healthcare is not covered by the French state