French music

When I lived in Paris, apart from tuning in to The Archers religiously every night at 8pm (because of the hour's time difference) I listened exclusively to French radio, which played mostly British or American music anyway. In 1996, French culture minister Philippe Douste-Blazy decreed that 40 percent of music played on French radio must be by French artists. Up until then, based on what I listened to, I'd say only about 15 - 20% was French.

I loved some of the French pop songs that were out during my stay in Paris and, much to my delight, some of them are available on You Tube - this was one of my favourites and when I found it this morning it was as much as I could do not to cry as I sang along (in my head, not out loud!) Just as well, as I was at work at the time ...

There is a live version on You Tube, so if you'd like to see Monsieur Cabrel, looking even dishier than he does here, search for his name and 'Encore et Encore'.



... Hours feel like weeks. You find yourself sitting on the floor, leaping up every time you hear the door bang ... Think yourself lucky that there's still a trace of his aftershave on your jacket ...

The song is about a woman whose boyfriend has left her - particularly poignant for me, as I was dumped by 2 men almost simultaneously round about the time the song was released. I suppose it served me right for going out with both of them at once! But I did find myself sitting cross-legged on the floor of my studio apartment, drinking glass after glass of whisky and diet coke (Tab, as it was called then) singing my little heart out to this song, which was practically on a loop on my cassette player, crying harder and harder as the bottle emptied.


Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior still brings a tear to my eye, but despite all the trauma of that period, the memories are happy ones, and I still love the song. I even learned something from the heartbreak, and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I'd do it all Encore et Encore ...

The nights are drawing in!

I don't know what it's like in your part of the world, but here in the South of England, at 7.30 in the evening, you could be forgiven for thinking it's around 5pm in late October.

I like Autumn ... in Autumn, not in late Summer - and for the past few years, September could have been classed as late Summer, with sunny days and light evenings. For the past couple of weeks I've had a quilt around me as I sit on the sofa watching television at night. My cat comes in with cold paws and a cold nose and snuggles close to me for warmth. I'm contemplating getting my winter-weight duvet out of mothballs because the summer one isn't enough any more.

So, instead of bemoaning the Summer we've (not) had, I'm going to embrace Autumn, and look forward to better television, stews and casseroles, and different clothes (although not for work - thanks to the aircon, it is permanently bikini weather in the office).

Only 108 days until Christmas!