Holiday Milk.
Mental block this week. A few things come to mind, but no capacity to string them together. So let’s see where it leads.
1
Cannes. Blue chairs.
Great idea in a place meant to be exclusive and elite.
The promenade is dotted with sturdy blue steel seats.
You can move them. Into shade, against the sea wall, in groups or alone.
Freedom disguised as furniture.
2
Pain au chocolat: one pound in a proper French bakery. Nearly two here.
I suppose they sell more.
I read about the EGalim laws in France. Complicated, but in short—they protect small producers from being crushed by the supermarkets. Makes food about 15% dearer than in the rest of Europe.
But everything felt cheaper to me.
3
Why do the French still drink UHT milk? Doesn’t it taste horrible?
I thought so. But the Italians turned me a few years ago.
I was in a fancy Milan bakery—Pasticceria Marchesi—ordering a coffee and orange juice at the bar.
The man juicing my orange had stiff, arthritic hands. Slow but careful.
Then I noticed: they were using UHT milk in the cappuccino.
I spent the rest of that trip watching milk being poured. Always UHT.
France, Belgium, Italy—they never had a daily fresh milk tradition. No glass bottles on the doorstep. So, UHT became the norm.
To a Brit, UHT belongs in the nuclear bunker.
But you can’t beat an Italian cappuccino.
UHT adds a little sweetness.
So I mentally rebranded it: Holiday Milk.
And now it’s something special. Something that lingers for a few weeks after the trip.
Until I go back to the norm.
Same with steam trains.
Holiday Trains.
You’d never use one day-to-day. But on holiday? Magic.
4
I went to the chiropractor yesterday. Bad back.
“Pelvis out of line,” he said.
Then came the magic trick.
I’m lying on my back. He grabs my left leg.
“Push up against my hand,” he said.
I can’t.
He touches the right side of my chin.
“Push again.”
Now I can.
He repeats it. Both legs. A few times. Just to show me it’s not a fluke.
It worked. No idea why. Chin tap. Stronger leg. Strange magic.
Noted.
Have a good weekend!
This Week’s Links:
Are forever homes a good idea?
Seven Simple Steps Toward Online Privacy.
I’ve used the Brave browser and Search for a few years. Worth a try if you don’t want Google all over you.
Main Image credit: UHT, blue chairs, and the strange logic of holidays. (MidJourney)
