Book search

Bob Marson in the Var was intrigued by our reference some issues back to Gordon Home’s Along the Riviera of France and Italy, published in 1908. He’s been trying to get hold of the book through second-hand booksellers in the UK. So far no joy. There are a couple of good websites to try in these cases: www.abebooks.com andwww.bibliofind.com. Good hunting! 

Don’t move a muscle ...

... even if you’re surprised by the latest French claim to have invented a game. Remember – not long ago it was cricket. Now ... it’s poker. According to a researcher at one of the Paris universities it was a French pastime – known as le poque – which Gallic immigrants took to New Orleans in the early nineteenth century. It caught on with Americans who pronounced it “poker” and changed the rules. 

So now you know ...

Why were the Beatles called the Beatles? It was John Lennon – whose sixty-fifth birthday has just passed – who came up with the name. Cynthia Lennon explains in her recent book of memories: “He loved Buddy Holly and the Crickets and came up with Beetles but changed it to Beatles because if you turned it round it was ‘les beat’ which sounded French and cool.” E.G.
… and here’s something else you didn’t know:

Ever wondered why a conspicuously sexually active man is described as “randy”? The word goes back to late Victorian times when London gents of a certain class took to keeping their mistresses in apartment blocks in the West London suburb of Maida Vale. Especially favoured were addresses on Randolph Avenue and Randolph Road. Those who kept ladies available in this way came to be called “randy”. 

Why don’t they get a life?

If that’s what you say about trainspotters how do you rate the new breed of cybernerds whose passion is to track euro banknotes as they move around and beyond the continent?This is how it works: you (or perhaps not you) log on to www.eurobilltracker.com and indicate your location with web address; you then select a banknote and register its number before going out to spend it. You then hope another enthusiast will come across it and get back to you to tell you where the note got to.

“It’s really exciting,” says Philippe Girolami, who launched the idea in France and is one of this country’s 2750 eurotrackers. They’re now found in 78 countries. The largest number is in Finland where around 16,000 people are filling their dark evenings that way. Weird, I call it.

Got that morning after feeling?

Common enough in this season of parties. Don’t just groan – check out hundreds of remedies at www.hangover.net. And tell us if you find one that really works.

Baffled by the blower ...

Or troubled by the telephone? A reminder that France Telecom has a special hotline where you can get help in English with your problems. It’s open Monday to Friday 08h30-20h00. Call 0800 364 775.

From Reporter 112 - Dec 2005

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