Well, the title was sure to get your attention, and you won't be disappointed because this one really is about going topless. Some people have qualms about removing their tops, perhaps understandably, especially if summer hasn't quite started yet. But here in France it's just another part of life on the canals. And yes, Liz and I both sailed topless yesterday. Curb your enthusiasm; we don't do it every day of course, but sometimes it's just necessary. Like yest...

This is a bitter-sweet update. Get a box of tissues ready. Liz and I have finally made it to the famous Canal du Midi in southern France - that 17th century engineering marvel that links the Atlantic with the Med. You might have seen it if you watched chef Rick Stein on the telly travel on a hotel boat along the waterway. Anyway, there are a number of reasons why it's famous, not least of which is that it ranks among those achievements - such as heavier-than-ai...

There has been chaos in Beaucaire recently; chaos, bad weather, and great excitement. The occasion was the 44th Etoile de Besseges cycle race, which for a short while had Beaucaire in a state of almost Monaco Grand Prix fever, except much quieter. The first we knew of the race was the notices on the windscreens of all the cars that park daily on both sides of the marina, and along the one-way traffic circuit which is a key artery through the centre of town. Our...

We have been back for two days now after an afternoon trip to Pont du Gard, a 2000 year-old Roman aquaduct in an awesome state of preservation, and we can't get it out of our heads. The thing is, the aquaduct is so well preserved as to look fully functional. Unlike various amphitheatres scattered around Europe, Hadrian's Wall, or the Forum in Rome, where you get a hint of what once was, the Pont du Gard is so complete that you have the whole thing before you, al...

Last Sunday Liz and I went to church. This, as God will testify, is a rare event, but it was for a good cause. Basically we were there to pray for a good vintage for 2014, and well, heaven knows we all like a good vintage. So, unusually for us we were up and ready for the off by 9am, at which time we met up with Jim and Sandra who had offered to drive us to the nearby town of Jonquieres Saint-Vincent on this fine Sunday morning, to take part in an annual wine fe...