For me, choosing the better version is rarely about buying something expensive. It is about knowing what I want, recognising what is worth the effort, and leaving the rest alone. By Geneviève L., France When I go shopping, I take a list. I know what I need, and I am not particularly interested in being…
One question. Many lives. Ask six people the same question and you’ll probably get six different answers. Some will make you smile. Others might surprise you. Occasionally, someone will say something that makes you reconsider what you thought you knew. Now imagine asking that question in different parts of the world. That’s the idea behind…
Fresh bread, an Alsatian apéro, a plate of choucroute and a week of imaginary visitors. Geneviève explores what it really means to welcome somebody into her part of the world. By Geneviève, France. Frank gave me visitors for a week. Not real visitors, at least not yet. He imagined Janita arriving from South Africa with…
Who makes the rules we follow every day, and why do we follow them? Coming to the end of this month’s topic, I have come to realize just how fascinating—and sometimes completely baffling—our relationship with rules really is. Sometimes, we are the architects of our own guidelines. We make unwritten rules for ourselves and others…
From a knitting project that needed three attempts to a family lasagne with its own rules, there is always something happening at home. By Babette, Germany. My husband and the children have a week of autumn holidays. I have to work. That is how our week started. They have some time off, and I still…
An alien dinner on Mars, three embarrassing memories, a flying bicycle, chocolate-covered pretzels and an unexpected conversation with an author. Lunch took a few unusual turns this week, and nobody even had to leave Earth. By Lunch, well..Birthday girl Rosii was pulled away to an early appointment in Sao Paulo, Monica in Adelaide had a…
Next week marks the start of a brand-new month—which means a fresh page, a new perspective, and a lovely new theme: Small Delights. You know that quiet magic of drinking your morning coffee slowly, without any rush? Or the sheer bliss of sleeping in on a Saturday morning simply because you don’t have to be…
Every third weekend in September, Cleebourg celebrates the grape harvest—wine, food, music and a village that suddenly has rather more visitors than usual. The Brotherhood of the Wine The Confrérie des Vins de Cléebourg in full ceremonial dress. Their job is to promote the wines of our local cooperative and, judging by the glass, quality…
AI can produce better answers than ever. The harder question is whether any of us will actually do anything with them. By Bruce Lloyd, London in conversation with Frank Peters, Cleebourg. “How do you get an AI to fulfil its New Year’s resolutions?” The question came up during a conversation about the knowing-doing gap, and…
On a wet regional football pitch, the referee has his rules, the players have theirs, and everybody is trying to work out what kind of game they are in. By Alexander, Germany The first thing we do at an away match is say hello. Then we walk onto the pitch and look at the grass….
