A mountain dweller in the Thames Valley

Kicking your way around London

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:33:00 PDT

Some people say about the UK that is home of football. There is such an enthusiasm and passion about that little piece of rubber that it is difficult to argue (even if other nations have open their own door to that sport). World Freestyle Football Champion, Andrew Henderson, takes us through the streets of London like never before. After all,...

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Tour de Force

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:22:00 PDT

Wheels of good fortune. Every July a bunch of (sport) addicts jump on their bicycle and tour one of the largest countries in mainland Europe, France. Crazy. They do that in the hottest month of the year., under a harsh sunshine. Crazier. And, to boot, they dress up in multicolour lycras and get cheered up by Satanists,...

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Big mountains through a viewfinder

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:43:00 PDT

I have already mentioned Sebastien Montaz and his picturesque work on this blog. This mountain guy has just invested time in a massive photo shoot to create a giant 3.15 Gigapixel picture by stitching 297 high resolution photos together. This picture includes every peak from the Argentière glacier near Chamonix... You can start navigating...

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In memoriam

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:39:00 PDT

We walk down the street, our street. It's finally spring time in London. Cherry blossoms are paving the way, the sky is blue, and we have smiles on our faces. We walk down our street and suddenly feel something is off. There is a grey cloud over our block. The always-opened convenience store has its shutter down. Our smiles are fading away as we...

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But why?

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:22:00 PDT

Credit photo: Caro Willis via Flickr Precision questioning: the joy of parenthood. As you may know, I am the lucky dad of a 3-year old boy. At that age, after the so-called Terrible 2's, it is supposed to be a delight to raise a child: as he is old enough to interact and understand, but still sufficiently young to avoid demonstrating...

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Finding the line, your line.

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:08:00 PST

These days I feel somehow melancholic, missing the mountains and their exhilarating outdoor life that goes with (and probably a tiny tad of the childhood years during which I experienced it last). I am seeing myself slowly drifting in a complacent urban life. "Metro. Boulot. Dodo." as the French triptych summarises it:...

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The Saturday Shot #29: winter lock-down

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 06:00:00 PST

There was no real choice this weekend but to choose a snowy reference as my Saturday Shot. The UK is under a snowstorm that started on Friday and has lasted so far the whole weekend, disrupting the whole public transportation system, stranding flights... No record yet of a 12-hour trip in Eurostar due to snow flakes on the rails so far, but I...

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Olympic enlightenment for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:04:00 PST

It is that time of the year when one looks forward with good resolutions, and backward with wisdom, a sense of fulfilment, or possibly a tad of shame because that same person realises that this year's resolutions looks a little bit too similar to last year's... When I personally look back at 2012, two events stand out: my son's first badge of...

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City of light(s)

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:00:00 PST

Paris was originally nicknamed The City of Light because it was the European epicentre of enlightenment in the 18th century. Later on, from 1828, Paris began lighting the Champs-Elysées with gas lamps. It was the first city in Europe to do so, and so earned more broadly the nickname "La Ville-Lumière" or The City of Light. This stop-motion...

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Massive destruction cheeses

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:13:00 PST

I recently wrote about the different perspective of the US and France on the military through the prism of children toys, but we could talk at length about the ambiguous relationship to weapons of that martial nation. The recent Oregon shootings, combined to the subsequent debate on the validity of the contemporary US Constitution second amendment...

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Continent hoping

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 01:12:00 PST

Around the globe. I have shared already the adventures around the globe of Seattle-originated jigger Matt. He seems to have a converted some followers to the why-travel-like-everyone-with-a-cheap-camera-around-your-neck-when-you-can-do-more-stupid-things philosophy. Let me indeed introduce you to another fantasist traveller, Sam, who has...

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The Saturday Shot #28: at my finger tips

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 09:54:00 PST

Tick, tock, tick, tock... Captain Hook may be scared of that repetitive sound, but I am personally delighted. Each iteration is another second that gets us closer to my annual highlight. Although a couple years back I could have cursed that frozen water which stranded me twice in twelve months in France and the US, the white powder has since...

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Assimilation?

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 03:37:00 PST

It is now blatantly obvious that the regularity of my posts have reduced. There are many reasons to that situation, amongst which the delightful arrival of a little one, three years ago, who has since been playing a growing part in my daily workload. But that is not all. Walking in the valley. In fact, I started that blog with the conviction...

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The Saturday Shot #27: let it fall.

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 03:32:00 PST

It is this time of the year yet again! If autumn is usually synonymous of doom, gloom, spleen... For me it is an Ideal. Autumn first of all is a brilliant subject for photography. I loved walking the Japanese back-country a few years ago to capture its reddening. I like clicking around the parks in Paris or elsewhere to snap as...

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The Saturday shot #26: an American Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 04:13:00 PDT

This week, I wanted to share a picture shot during my recent holidays in the US, whilst visiting a Build-a-Bear outlet. I was indeed surprised by the cultural insight that this child shop could give on the American culture. After all, myths and beliefs are fostered in our early age, some say even before. So what struck me was that if, in swinging...

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Paris vs. New York by Tony Miotto

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 03:26:00 PDT

When the Big Apple is compared to the City of Lights, that can be enlightening... And this animation by graphic designer Tony Miotto, is clearly a nice source of light. Nice execution on the cultural differences and references of two of most famous cities in the world. And if you like that split-screen graphic approach, you may enjoy a similar...

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A mountain dweller in the Washington valleys

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:09:00 PDT

A couple years back I had the opportunity to discover Seattle on business, and have since return quite few times in that city. But I knew there was more to the North-Western region than the SeaTac airport and taxis commuting between my hotel and the company's offices. So this summer, I decided to dwell a little longer than...

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The Saturday Shot #25: carrying on, and on, and on...

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:21:00 PDT

For this week Saturday Shot, I had to go back one more time to these unique scenes caught during the London 2012 Olympics. After all, the games were the reasons why I have been unable to fulfil my weekly social contributions. I had brilliant times about which I wrote on this other blog (in French). And frankly speaking I wished...

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Marseillaise

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 03:18:00 PDT

Anniversary. This summer marked my sixth year on the British soil. An anniversary which also means that I have now lived longer in the British capital than in Paris for instance. During that time I got accustomed to the local rhythm, the indigenous habits, the cultural disparities... I have blended in. This is quite an ambivalent feeling as...

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The tax prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:33:00 PDT

A necessary evil Tax is exactly that: it is a necessary evil. Don't get me wrong, I am not getting into the neo-liberal debate of whether or not we are paying too much tax. In fact, I am rather fine with the concept of paying a tax, as long as it is used properly and without wastage. No my main concern about tax is the fact that it is also a...

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The Saturday Shot #24: common sense

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 01:51:00 PDT

This is picture I took as I was wandering another valley on the other side of the pond. It struck me and made me smile. I thought it was an interesting political statement made by the architect: in a time of presidential elections, the "pensee unique", this concept whereby mainstream conformism is the only way out, may...

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The Saturday Shot #23: bon future...

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 07:35:00 PDT

Sometimes as you walk around the streets of life, you are prompted some very interesting, metaphysical questions... This picture was taken on London south bank, and I thought it captured an interesting question. Forty years after Sid Vicious and the rest of the punk movement declared there was no future, are we more positive nowadays? We are...

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The Saturday Shot #22: blossoming memories

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 05:22:00 PDT

Such a sight can only bring a new layer of poetry to the English capital. It carries you, the dreamer, away. These days, the streets of London look indeed like a back alley in Kyoto or a Carioca avenue after the carnival. Tones of cherry blossoms are paving the streets like a myriad of pink snowflakes blown away by the wind. Close your...

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Cultural difference from the tap.

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:08:00 PDT

A pint of cultural difference. A shooter of good taste. When it comes to cultural disparities, you often find yourself on the creative super highways... But also on the verge to lose some of your international audience by communicating on too local an insight, or even get into dangerous ethical considerations. This commercial for Molson...

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The Saturday Shot #21: the gender gap

noreply@blogger.com (Cedric) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:01:00 PST

For this weekend contribution, I was inspired by the first French actor to win an Academy Award, Jean Dujardin... The reference will be lost for most non-French folks reading these lines, but before become a worldwide reference for his talent as a silent actor, Mr. Dujardin has been a daily companion to most French households....

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