I don’t know what’s happened this year but my blogging output is pitiful. I apologise to all those subscribers who must think they are being short-changed. It’s partly down to a loss of momentum – the less you blog the harder it gets – but also down to the sheer amount of telly watching I’ve been doing of late. It all started with the Euros, then there was Glastonbury followed by lots of election coverage, culminating with Wimbledon and the Olympics.
Like many of us, for the last 16 days I’ve become an expert on all kinds of weird and wonderful sports I only ever see at the Olympics. You get drawn in to checking the medal table on an hourly basis knowing full well it’s not really a level playing field and a drop in Lottery funding for many sports would see us return to Atlanta ’96 levels (only one gold medal – thank goodness for the rowers). The joke is I play no sport, and rarely did, but there is something about the Olympics that appeals to the geographer in me. All those countries coming together in a city that showcases its “best bits” to the world. We find out which country specialises in specific sports (for archery it’s the Koreans, for female wrestling it’s the Japanese) and at the opening and closing ceremonies we see the athletes parade in an outfit that reflects their heritage (the Bermudans are always in Bermuda shorts). Yes, I’m going to miss my daily dose of competitive-sport-watching, and the withdrawal symptoms are already setting in, but the upside is that there will be more time for blogging.
Having mentioned Paris 2024 I think it would be in order for me to share a song that Mr WIAA has become very fond of lately as it seems to have become a French standard and pops up on many of the feeds he subscribes to. It was actually the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 and came second. The singer is Barbara Pravi and if your French is good you might be able to work out what the song is about from the lyrics to Voilà, but if not, here are a few pointers. Be warned, it’s not a jaunty upbeat little number, but it certainly packs a punch.
“Listen to me, Me, the wannabe singer. Talk about me to your loved ones, to your friends. Tell them about this girl with black eyes and her crazy dream. Me, what I want is to write stories that reach you. That’s all.”
The video clip features Barbara but the audio clip is by Emma Kok, a 15-year-old girl with a very powerful voice. Which version do you like best?
Well that’s me back in the saddle again so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up the momentum as I have several ideas I want to explore. Unlike many of my well-heeled friends who actually go to Glastonbury, the Euros and the Olympics I am usually content to dip in via my sofa, but hopefully one day I will snap into action and make actual plans. Until then the sofa will suffice.
Until next time…
Voilà Lyrics
Song by Barbara Pravi/Igit/Lili Poe
Écoutez-moi
Moi, la chanteuse à demi
Parlez de moi
À vos amours, à vos amis
Parlez-leur de cette fille aux yeux noirs et de son rêve fou
Moi c’que j’veux, c’est écrire des histoires qui arrivent jusqu’à vous
C’est tout
Voilà, voilà, voilà, voilà qui je suis
Me voilà, même si mise à nu, j’ai peur, oui
Me voilà dans le bruit et dans le silence
Regardez-moi, ou du moins ce qu’il en reste
Regardez-moi, avant que je me déteste
Quoi vous dire, que les lèvres d’une autre ne vous diront pas
C’est peu de chose, mais moi tout ce que j’ai je le dépose là, voilà
Voilà, voilà, voilà, voilà qui je suis
Me voilà, même si mise à nu, c’est fini
C’est ma gueule, c’est mon cri, me voilà tant pis
Voilà, voilà, voilà, voilà juste ici
Moi, mon rêve, mon envie, comme j’en crève, comme j’en ris
Me voilà dans le bruit et dans le silence
Ne partez pas, j’vous en supplie, restez longtemps
Ça m’sauvera peut-être pas, non
Mais faire sans vous j’sais pas comment
Aimez-moi comme on aime un ami qui s’en va pour toujours
J’veux qu’on m’aime parce que moi, je sais pas bien aimer mes contours
Voilà, voilà, voilà, voilà qui je suis
Me voilà même si mise à nu, c’est fini
Me voilà dans le bruit et dans la fureur aussi
Regardez-moi enfin et mes yeux et mes mains
Tout c’que j’ai est ici, c’est ma gueule, c’est mon cri
Me voilà, me voilà, me voilà
Voilà, voilà, voilà, voilà
Voilà
What's It All About? 
Stupidly, I watched very little of the first 8 or so days of the Olympics. But then I wised up and watched many hours of the games after that. The organizers outdid themselves. It was a great Olympics. And the long, dramatic, spacey production in the middle of the closing ceremonies was fantastic.
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We won a bronze medal in the diving on the very first morning of competition and from then on I was hooked on all the sport coverage. Glad you enjoyed what you watched – the US did really well this year in Athletics, twice pipping our runner to the gold just at the last minute!
The Opening Ceremony was dogged with rain which did spoil it somewhat but the closing ceremony was impressive.
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Will you be taking up speed climbing?
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If you put a pint at the top Scotland would be a shoe in for the gold medal!
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CC – You could be right – the climbers wouldn’t even need the safety harness.
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Ernie – Ironically you just mentioned the one sport we did do as a family although I’ve not been up a climbing wall for a few years now. I still have my harness and special shoes though, so who knows, I might be shimmying up that wall at LA ’28!
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Go for it! You could trounce them all, and you would not need the inducement Charity Chic refers to.
Sad to see one of your compatriots perpetuating that tired old stereotype, although in his defence he was probably half-cut when he wrote that.
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