Happy New Year peoples and peoplesses!
How are you all? I hope that 2024 is treating you well!
Here, it has mainly been raining and blowy, so, with the exception of going out to buy a month’s worth of milk, we haven’t been out. There was a plan to go out today but there is so much standing water on the roads that we decided against it. On the upside, the ground needs it because it has been far too dry here for the past few years - not that that will stop me moaning! :)
Anyway, it’s 2024, so let’s crack on! In this New Year’s Edition, you will find out about…
Zero
Dora
Votes
…and much more!
Let’s do this thing!
Take care everyone!
James x
PS Just so you know, after all the hectic festive fun, I’m going back to Thursday/Friday newsletters. (Assuming that I can be that organised!)
Zero Point
Just outside Notre Dame de Paris is a marker.
This marker is the Zero Point for roads in France. When you are driving from, for example, Calais to Paris on the route nationale RN1 and it says ‘Paris 84km’ - it is 84 kilometers to this marker point.
The place was chosen by Louis XV, and inaugurated on 22 April 1769 - however, the current marker point was laid in 1924. Before that, in the 10th and 11th century, this was the square outside a church dedicated to Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.
So now you know.
PodCorner
Scary as it is, my thoughts on starting a new podcast are developing… I mean, things will probably get in the way but, as Christian Payne will let you know, this is something that I’ve been banging on about for ages! It might happen!
In the meantime, I’ve already recommended some podcasts to you and the latest one that is tickling my ears is Chatabix with Joe Wilkinson and David Earl. You will know Joe from Cats Does Countdown and David from various Ricky Gervais vehicles. They chat about nothing much for 45 minutes or so and I have no idea why I always find that so interesting as a format!
Anyway, give it a go if you want - here it is!
I’ll admit that my podlistening is… eclectic!
Eurovision 2024
Eurovision is much more fascinating that people realise! For instance, each country has their own way of choosing their entry and enjoying the competition.
Croatia’s first chance to hear all the candidate songs to be the Croatian entry comes today on the Croatian national radio station, Hrvatski Radio 2.
The 24 songs which have been chosen from the 200 entries includes last year’s Croatian Eurovision heroes, Let 3 - who are ready to take on Malmo with their new number, Babaroga.
While you’re awaiting the appearance of their new tune, here they are last year with Mama ŠČ.
The potential Croatian entries will all be performed and subjected to a public vote during the Dora music competition in February, with the winner representing Croatia at Eurovision.
All of the entries will be available on the Official HRT Dora Youtube Page in the next few days.
By the way, if you are looking for the entry from Zsa Zsa, they have dropped out and been replaced by Baby Lasagna with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”.
So now you know.
Walford East Tube
Thanks to James Cridland’s Flickr photostream, we now know exactly where Walford East tube station is and on which line.
It’s between West Ham and Bow Road on the District and Hammersmith and Fulham lines.
Very handy if you want to go to London’s latest Pie and Mash shop - Beale’s Eels, on Turpin Road.
So now you know.
Vote 2024
2024 is going to be a big election year within the EU with a lot of countries going to the polls - along with the whole of the EU in June. Here’s what my own voting calendar looks like:
European Parliament : Jun 6 – Jun 9 (depending on the country)
Croatian Sabor (Parliament) - 22 September
Croatian President (Round 1) - December (Round 2 will be held 14 days later if no candidate wins 50% +1 of the vote in the first round)
A lot of thought has gone into which elections I will vote in and which I will not. Mainly, whether or not I will vote in the UK general election.
The UK system is based on territorial constituencies and, while British citizens living overseas do have the right to vote, many MPs have zero interest in representing their overseas electors. Other countries, for example France and Croatia, also have constituencies specifically to represent citizens overseas.
If I am being blunt (and I often am), the difference in approach is does not surprise me. Having experienced being British outside Britain, it is clear that British citizens overseas are more of an inconvenience than anything else and they are treated as such. The idea that there is no direct democratic link between British citizens and their Parliament should not come as a shock.
The Croatian Sabor has a constituency, XI. izborna jedinica, which is voted for by citizens living outside Croatia and is there to represent them and their rights.
Therefore, I will be voting in the two Croatian elections and the European Parliament election.
With regards to the European Parliament elections, I am allowed to vote either in France or in Croatia and, for entirely practical reasons, I think I will be voting in France.
Now I just need to work out who to vote for…
Thanks everyone for the end-of-year messages - I think I’ve managed to reply to all of them!
Those of you in France will know that we are now hurtling towards the sales period which, by law, starts this year at 8am on 10 January. Before then, it’s not the sales! This will be a very alien concept to those of you in the UK! (Along with certain departments in the metropole and overseas where the dates are different!)
So, while the final recycling bins of the festive period are collected and the last of the chocolates are consumed, I will let you get on with our weekend, podcasts and Croatian Eurovision candidates!
Have a great week!
James x
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Let's record a podcast in Beale’s Eels!