Barça's Ferran (#7) is ruled offside here, because his "shoulder" (a playable part of the body) is allegedly forward of the opponent. But isn't the "shoulder" delimited by the body-line passing up through the armpit ? Has VAR even drawn its line in the right place? Does ANYONE understand the rule🙂
I'd forgotten that it was "England only" in the UK. But indeed, the flag of St George has become a symbol of hatred and division. I cross the road when I pass a house displaying one.
"St George's Day" in UK. It takes some getting used to that this is the same "Sant Jordi" that in Catalonia is celebrated with roses, books and poetry. One saint, two stories.
AUIU, this role of "investigating magistrate" has largely disappeared from other countries, but Spain has loads of them. Peinado appears to have a history of bringing cases like this. I get the feeling that he's an embarrassment - but he has to retire soon, so maybe he's being quietly tolerated?
Well this is quite a find! "Port Lauragais", on the A61 motorway near Toulouse looks like an average motorway services - but behind the petrol pumps & toilets, there's a restaurant & cafeteria that serves both the motorway and the Canal du Midi! Park up the boat and step inside for your cassoulet!
Genuinely surprised at the vague & sloppy management on display here. If you fail your driving test, that's a simple fact. There's no chain of civil servants to filter the results, no twilight manoeuvres, no plausible deniability. You failed, so you don't get to drive the bus. What am I missing?
Very different things! I'm a Kagi subscriber as well and really like their translator.
Goldendict is an OFFLINE container & search engine for dictionaries - but you have to 'find' or create the dictionaries yourself! I have a collection built up over many years. Not easy.
If you have a multi-language dictionary (I use Goldendict) then you may also be able to keep a long HISTORY of words you looked up - then browse through it in dull moments. Works for me (but Goldendict is rather tricky!)
The walk into Najac along river-left is uneventful, but language lovers will appreciate the "Lo Vilatge" sign, which of course is Occitan. Our local Catalan even uses the same word, in preference to "poble/poblet". So I feel quite at home 🙂 //
In reality, the risk is negligible. Trains here are slow and infrequent and the bridge is two tracks wide, but carries only a single track. You can even see where a footpath has formed! But if SNCF knew this was happening, they would soon show up with a truckload of barbed wire!
The *correct* way Is to take an unmarked right turn down a muddy track, then a left ... at which point the reason becomes apparent. You need to cross the river and the only way to do it is "illegally" via the SNCF railway bridge. So of course few people are going to document this officially....
If you follow the waymarking, you head down this lovely forest track and arrive at the water's edge - in a total dead end! A gorge with an overhanging rock face that you would only want to negotiate with ropes, grimpons and good life assurance cover 🤔
This being a GR, you might expect good waymarking. The famous red/white stripe that you clock almost without thinking. And it is generally good, but here at Mergieux, It tells you to carry on - when the official route has already given up turned off on the tarmac...
Halfway along this route, there's a place important enough to have a name: Mergieux. Here for many years there has been a novelty campsite with inflatable tents! "Somn'en bulles". I often wondered what happened if the electricity failed? Alas, It seems to have disappeared! So I can stop worrying 🤔
After the last house, the track becomes a footpath and you are on your own, with just the river for company. I don't think the river seriously floods here, but there is a pervasive dampness, and most of the trees and rocks are draped in a kind of moss. Not great conditions for wild camping.
The walk North from Laguépie Is a rough track, but it is drivable, so of course there are a few houses there. But by 5-6 km from town we are well into the estate agents "B catalogue". 'Pour amateurs de la nature' etc. Electricity? Drainage? And I'm sorry, but that white plastic chair will have to go
I don't think so! I have already loss-reported everything and I'm going through the tedious process of recovery. But it appears you can survive with a passport and a mobile phone!
That's lovely!
I like a challenge, so 3 days ago, I contrived to lose my wallet on a bus - with all my banking & ID cards. Pretty stupid, huh? But at least my passport & phone were in different pockets, so l was able to summon up a virtual credit card and buy a £1.50 ticket on Trainline! Yay! (Nobody checked it)
My wee journey starts with a wee train ride south from Najac, one of France's most emblematic rural stations. The Paris to Carmaux monastery sleeper used to stop here in the cold of the early morning. Alas, that service was lost years ago. Now you get a 2-car diesel Lio trainette.
The path is part of the long-distance GR36 (Sentier Manche-Pyrénées) Which I walked in its entirety years ago. But if you look up this section, you see they leave the riverbank & deviate miles to the West, on dull tarmac roads.
Off on a wee stroll (~15k) to try and capture and document a path that seems to have got itself lost. The path is between Laguépie & Najac along the banks of the Aveyron. I walked this decades ago, then forgot the route and could not find it documented anywhere. Turns out there was a reason...
These shutter-catches used to be everywhere in France, but are now becoming rarer (though you can still buy replacements). Why on earth use the head of a shepherdess? Some questions don't have answers. And anyway, 'Bergère' is most commonly a sofa with big wings!
I've seen people washing clothes in the river, but an open-air laundrette Is a new one on me. Quite tempted to try!
That's what I call a safe bet 🙂
(I'm not really anti-labour, but the path they've chosen makes no sense to me. And I really think it's a big opportunity for the Greens)
I have no inside knowledge - but continue to think that Starmer is a fundamentally decent man cursed by terrible judgement. I personally hope he isn't summarily ejected, but given more time - more time for the Greens to hoover up Labour's remaining voters 🤔
A pleasure to be spending a few days in Belle Rive, Najac - one of our long-standing favourites. COVID might have killed this place off, after 5 generations in the Mazières family, but they survived. Jacques has "retired", but in reality carries on (with dinner service now residents only)
That sounds slightly less rewarding 🙂. In truth, I quit out when Atlético equalised, as I assumed they would then grind their way to a narrow victory. Great result in the end, and very happy for RSO!
They're 2-1 up at halftime. Have faith!
Trying out Brittany Ferries' upmarket options for the 1st time. This is the 'St Malo', and a 'Commodore' cabin cost us £161 for the overnight crossing. Sounds a lot, but the cabin is 14m2 with a queen bed, TV & sea views. You also get access to a premium lounge & terrace, with breakfast included.