24/07/24 08:00 

This is it.  The last working day before my big trip to Paris.  6 nights, 7 days.  Technically I’m not sure if it’s all in Paris.  It’s a place called Villetaneuse.  Or maybe Butte Pinson.  The closest biggest town is Saint Denis.  I’ve no idea.  But I will find out at some point.  And it may well be a podcast episode by itself.  As will the Paris Olympics, the reason for the visit. 

With 10 weeks under my belt at this new job – the last two with my two training colleagues on annual leave – I’m not feeling that I’m ready to go.  Packing has been an issue.  And with my uncle wanting to go Aldi tonight for his shop, time is at a premium.  The railways are running a replacement bus service, so I lose at least half an hour in the evenings.  I’m hoping the boys are ready when I get there tonight.  Rory finished school yesterday and Jasper is having his last day at my old primary school today.  They’ll be both at my old secondary school when it starts up again in September.  And just like my old primary, it too will be going through a huge redevelopment whilst my boys attend. 

And on the subject of redevelopment, this Writer’s Blood ink from Diamine, is slowly turning into Herbin’s Vert Phe as the flow of the new cartridge takes hold.  I gently flushed the old remnants with Herbin’s Nib Cleaning Fluid and I inserted it into this red, simple, fountain pen (which is also Amazon). 

We’re staying in an apartment – which Nev and I kind of worked out last night – that is a new side-build annex to a house.  We could be completely wide of the mark, but, to be honest, Ansoir and Nadia, our hosts, seem like lovely people so it doesn’t really matter. Not to me.  It’s all part of the adventure and one that I can retell in a future podcast episode, no doubt. 

At some point during this stay, I/we have to collect some books, visit the Fragonard Museum, have a meal at Jardin du Roy, eat a home-cooked meal and attend three sporting events.  Aside from this, I’ll be needing to attempt to get material for quite literally my next podcast episode on Coffee Pot Conversations hosted by An Englishman in Paris, 2.3 Paris Olympics. 

All of this raises two questions for me.  Firstly, how much should I post on the ‘Gram; posts, reels or stories? First and a halfly, where should the question mark go in that last sentence? And now secondly, which baseball cap, if either should I take? I may just take one of my Paris hats and be done with.  That said, the baseball cap has a peak compared to a brim.  I may take both caps and end up wearing neither.  This is a family trip, after all. And I hope the boys are as excited as I am.  With my mind chasing all over the place I’ve pretty much stocked up on holiday items to see us through for a few years.  New cameras, cables, plugs, locks, a traveller’s journal for Jasper’s drawings, a passport safe for Nev and handfans for us all.  I’m packing powerbanks and recording equipment.  Oh, two sets of Navigo Olympic tickets and lanyards to wear them with.  I’m not one to scream and shout about money, but this trip has cost a huge amount of money and I’ve not even stepped out of the front door!  Still, it’s the experience and memories with the Boys and Nev that mean this trip is uncalulatorably priceless.  So much going on, so many memories to pass on and hopefully, even a handful of episodes to put under my belt.