Marseille in only two photos

Windsurfers racing around on a rough day at the beach in Marseille

I've been trying to figure out how to portray Marseille in only a couple of photographs. I don't think I have achieved it yet, but here are two from a wander today for your perusal. Being Bastille Day plenty of people were out and about, hence the proliferation of windsurfers on the water.

Transport, Regeneration and History. Marseille in one picture....

Moving House

Something I have never seen before - a lift from a lorry to a balcony to facilitate removing all the possessions from a n apartment. Genius!

A sign of the times??

No Elephants on the beach, La Ciotat, Provence, France 10/7/11

Is this a sign of our times and the problems people have with weight??
Or simply someone having fun where there was once a dog.
NB. the circus was in the local town and there was a performance of clowns tonight....

Provencal Pizza

Pizzas in the south of France are not like pizzas from the UK. First of all you only get one size - large; and secondly you only get one thickness - thin. I think this is as close to a traditional pizza as I can image, as you would expect close to the Italian border...
Pizza is also as readily available as a take-away as a kebab,  burger or fish and chips is in the UK. There are even Pizza vans on the corners of many streets selling slices of pizzas rather than whole pizzas, complete with an oven in the back of the van.
The thing I have been really impressed by is the quality of the ingredients, take tonight's four cheese pizza. A British one might use Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Cheshire and something else, but this one had Mozzarella, Rochefort, Goats Cheese and Emmental (I think) on it. Very tasty. And to round it off I was sat on some rocks by the sea, watching the sun go down, the air temperature was still around 25 degrees and it was comforatble in shorts and teeshirt.  The only downside was seeing all the smog in the air and the very red sun. Still I can't complain when I know it is dull and dreary at home!

Silly Rhymes

These rhymes were from the end of my PhD when I was a month away from submission. They have been sitting as a draft for a long time, but I found them today and was amused. I can't remember the context for all of them. Does it matter? I think not. I hope you enjoy them too.

My friend is away
the pictures are done,
maybe if she knew
back she would run,

but in her absence
a letter or a note,
I think I should send,
delivered by Goat!

(c) Martin Lilley 15/3/10
---

Holidays are coming...
For you and for me
For one, the Mountains
For the other, the sea

Why have a British holiday
When Greece you could go?
It really depends if you need
The sun or the snow!

(c) Martin Lilley 15/3/10

-----

You are ignoring

my questions to you

Maybe I should leave them

to ponder and stew.

Were they important?

Was I remiss?

Should I interrupt

my state of bliss?

(c) Martin Lilley 17/3/10


----


It is hard to find
sense in prose,
when rhyming my brain
is all that it knows

Try as I might
I can't seem to find,
Sense or Structure
of Any kind.


(c) Martin Lilley 17/3/10

----

To space your repetition
for the pleasure of thought,
A good rhyme costs money
and needs to be bought

(c) Martin Lilley 17/3/10

----

Ribbons are great

fun to twizzle,

particularly curled
with scissor or brizzle!

Now I have bubbles

to clean my glass;

drinking wine

and feeling class!

Martin Lilley 18/3/10

Monsieur ou Organisme?

While trying to book accommodation for a few nights I was faced with a form asking for my civilite (or title as the English would normally say). The options were:

Monsieur

Madame

Mademoiselle

Organisme

No choice of Docteur, but I think I certainly qualify as an organism....

Bonne journee Monsieur et Madames,
A bientot,
Organisme Martin

The Daily Routine

Everyone has a daily routine. For some it is getting the children ready for school, for others planning the dinner and having it ready on time. But it occurred to me this morning that many of these routine things are, well, Routine! We don't think much about them, we just get on and do them. So, what it there in your daily routine that you have to think most about?

Here in Marseille my daily routine is generally based around the commute. I suppose you could classify work as being routine, but for me science always has a challenge and something new to think about and do. I don't think reading the emails and answering them is going to be a particular challenge for me on most days . During my commute I obviously have time to think, to relax (!, the other option is to stress about the slow buses, so relaxing it is!) with a book, and to figure out the day ahead or that which i have just had. If I want a challenge then I will consider which is the quickest way to work or home, depending on the direction and your priorities! I think I have alluded previously to the fact that at present I have a walk, two metros, a bus and a short walk (in several variations). This could be shortened to a slightly longer walk and one bus, but it would take longer. Anyway, the thing that I think about most and challenges me the most...... is where to buy bread!

In Marseille, bread does not last long. It goes stale very quickly, almost whatever you do with it. It is tasty and a fundamental part of the daily life, with jam, cheese, oil, mopping up the end of your dinner, they are all with bread. So where to buy My baguette depends on the time of day I am travelling. Obviously I want to carry it the shortest distance possible, being an unwieldy item, but to be assured of having bread in the evening and for breakfast the next day. So at present I have four or even five boulangeries that I frequent depending on my route, my mood, and the time of day. I haven't yet figured out opening hours, so it is a bit of a game to work out which will be open and whether to take the risk of the one on the corner of my street or not.

So, expense vs distance vs quality of the bread vs risk of the shop being shut. That is the biggest challenge in My daily routine. Et tu?

And this will all change as soon as I move house or find an apartment for myself. What fun!