Writer, historian, philosopher, environmentalist and lots more besides!
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ON-LINE SELLING PLATFORMS: PROS AND CONS by Veronica Smith
Like most people, I live on a tight budget. It is often worth-while trying to source a good, reconditioned item rather than an expensive brand new version. Likewise, if I have something at home, which I no longer use but it is still in good condition, then why not earn a few bob by selling…
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Nice Holiday: Let’s Live There!
What are the biggest mistakes people make when visiting your country? There is a world of difference between visiting a country as a holiday-maker and living there as a resident. Take France, for instance. Great tourism, great food and shopping, set to please visitors. Once you move here permanently, you discover all the rules and…
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The Bear / Bare Necessities of Life!
What’s a song that always puts you in a good mood? I first saw the Walt Disney animated movie The Jungle Book as a child in 1960s Dublin. It had a lot of great songs but the one that appealed to me the most was the one sung by Balou the Bear! “Look for the…
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FRENCH BUREAUCRACY BLOCKS EU IDS by Veronica Smith
French bureaucracy has always been notoriously difficult but, since digitalisation, it has reached new heights of chaos! The idea of changing to on-line formats was supposed to save everyone time from waiting in queues at government buildings. It would also cut back the work-load of civil servants in favour of standard automated responses. However, putting…
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BEING IRISH IN FRANCE by Veronica Smith
“Are you from the North or the South?” That is the first question, which French officials always ask me. Why? Well, you see, Northern Ireland is still part of the United Kingdom, whereas Southern Ireland is a separate political entity altogether! The Irish Free State is known officially as The Republic of Ireland and /…
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MEDICINAL CABBAGE by Veronica Smith
Apart from being one of the oldest known vegetables of Europe, Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is also a medicinal plant! It was regarded as the “medicine of the poor” in days gone by, used by the Greeks and Romans and rediscovered by French “Natural” doctors in the 20th century. Old fashioned Green Cabbage has better medicinal…
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LESS HIGH-TECH, MORE LOW-TECH! By Veronica Smith
Unlike the 1960s Cold War, when the biggest threat was nuclear fall-out, the modern fear is centered around Cyber Attack. Let’s face it, society is overly dependent on high-tech. All utilities rely on “smart-tech” to read meters and to ration supplies. Banks want us to go cashless and do everything on-line, including paying utility bills.…
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2013: YEAR OF THE GODDESS! By Veronica Smith
I can remember the public’s superstitious panic coming up to the year 2013. In fact, it turned out to be the best year of my life! I was in my fifties and about to meet my Soul Family at Dunderry Park, the Irish Centre for Shamanic Studies. It was not the first time that I…
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The Walking Trails of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne by Veronica Smith
I am fortunate to live in the Spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne in Normandie, north-west France. The town lies in the middle of the Forest of Andaine, which is perfect for walking trails and cycling. The town itself offers plenty of sporting activities. There is an outdoor swimming pool; tennis courts, which host national tennis tournaments;…
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Different Shades of Vegetarianism by Veronica Smith
I have been Vegetarian for the past fifty years. While at boarding school in Connemara during the 1970s, I met a foreign student, who was vegetarian. It was a new idea for me because my family followed the traditional “meat and two veg” diet. While the other girls saved their tears for the censored-version of…