Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot - Languedoc-Roussillon

Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot is not your typical Life in France blog.

It doesn’t follow the same shape as most other blogs that I keep an eye on and, at first viewing, might seem hard to follow.

I liken this blog, in a way, to a second-hand bookshop where the books are piled everywhere and you have to delve a bit, in order to find the treasures.

I like second-hand bookshops and I don’t mind delving and… you know what?  I somehow don’t think that Mr. le Marquis du Galipot (or iwmpop as I’ll call him from here on in – don’t worry; I’ll explain it all in a moment or two), would actually mind that description too much?

Let’s hope not, anyway?

So, what’s in that pile of books?  And what’s all that about iwmpop?

Well, iwmpop was a typo that sort of stuck – it’s all to do with email account setups and doesn’t really matter.

All that matters is that Mr. le Marquis du Galipot has chosen to stick with it for his internet alias or nom de plume.

Of course, other things do matter; things like global warming and third world debt!

But we’ll leave those things to the politicians – of whom, IWMPOP has more that a little to say!

I’ll make a point of not mentioning the Pipi problems that are detailed in Cold Weather Problems – You all the same? because that deals with a personal and private function that is probably best not dicsussed on a site like A Taste of Garlic.  Then again…..

One of the longer articles…

One of the nice things about second hand bookshops is being able to find (generally propping up tables) the sort of books that don’t get published today.  Rather large ones, in other words!  Books that don’t get published because they won’t fit on the shelves at ASDA or Sainsburys.  Books like The Concise History of the Stockport and Darlington Railway 1905 to 1911… in 12 volumes!

And, on Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot there are some articles of a length that is rarely seen on Life in France blogs (apart from An Alien Parisienne whose very interesting and rather readable articles have kept me going for a whole afternoon at a time!)

And, I suppose that, if the truth be told, I’d probably have reviewed this site even if it only contained one article; as long as that article was…. A True Story From France.

Wolfgang’s story is,  ultimately, a sad one;  but it does show the strength of character of someone who wanted to live life in his own way.

The story is told, in my opinion, in very much the style of Bruce Chatwin.  And, you know?  That’s not such a bad thing at all!  I’m going to ask Mr. le Marquis du Galipot for his permission to re-publish Wolfgang’s story on A Taste of Garlic (suitable attributed, of course) so that it gets the audience it deserves – I hope IWMPOP will say yes.

Well, anything edible to eat?

If you like Roestli you should check out Army Style International Cooking.  And, if you don’t know what that is, you should read that article anyway.

IWMPOP must be a bit of a chef anyway (yes, I know he worked as a chef for 10 years), as when he says Monday’s Lunch is Simple… it looks simply divine.  But then again, he does admit to using lots of Garlic and, in my humble opinion, there are precious few dishes that aren’t improved by the addition of Allium Sativum.

True tales of long ago….

I’m not sure how old IWMPOP actually is.  He may only be a spring chicken but… he does tell some tales from long ago!  Such as… Christmas Comes But Once A Year – Very True.

And, in a post that mentions rationing, he does admit to being a Mouldy Oldie.

We learned about rationing in history lessons at school. It came after William the Conqueror and before the Three Day Week (or something like that!)

And, in Berlin – Part 1, IWMPOP talks about the Cold War – which, I guess must have happened a few hundred years before Global Warming came along?

Anyway, no matter how old IWMPOP really is (or claims to be), he writes like a young ‘un!

The strange bits that don’t fit anywhere else….

IWMPOP’s sense of humour can be determined from these snippets from June 2007 – dry witty and to the point.  I’ll quote an example to explain what I mean…

Or, what about IWMPOP’s curb crawling post call, strangely enough…. Crawling the Kerbs!

IWMPOP also has a bit to say about blogging in Blog, Why Blog? and Blogging – a Reply.

And there is some useful information for People coming to Live in France, as well.

IWMPOP certainly has no trouble getting down to the nitty-gritty with the Questions that are never asked!… Good for him!

And the Naughty bits…..

I’d probably think twice if IWMPOP offered me a Christmas present – especially if it were A True Christmas Present!

Geography is not forgotten – as Where is the Centre of the World… shows.

And I do have to re-publish this joke that I found in the Humour section…

Summing up……

There are precious few references to 2CVs on this site.

In fact, I could only find one and that was more to do with champagne and Triumph Spitfires.

That doesn’t mean that this is a bad blog though – far from it.  It’s a blog that rewards the time spent exploring it; it’s a blog that constantly surprises; it’s a blog that comes, I think, very much from the author’s heart.

IWMPOP does have other sites and they are worth visiting for some of the titbits that don’t appear here.

I’m not going to tell you where to find those other sites, though – you’ll  have to hunt them down for yourselves!

I do think that this is the longest review I’ve written to date; it’s certainly the one that I’ve spent the longest on!

I’m not sure what that means but I am sure that I wanted to do justice to Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot

Please visit and enjoy Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot – I’m sure you will (enjoy it , that is.)  Just remember… expect the unexpected at all times and that way, you won’t be surprised!

And me?  Well, I’m going to take another look at A True Story From France.  That’s registered something in me and I want to go back and find out what it is.  There but for the grace of God?  Who knows….

I think I’ll also have another read of Thoughts on the 3 March – a quiet, loving and thoughtful eulogy – or should that be threnody?

All the best

2 Comments

• 

  By Karin (an alien parisienne), May 20, 2010 @ 7:52 am

  I am so excited to read about another unusual, atypical blog,and I am going to scamper off with a cup of tea to Chez Mr. le Marquis du Galipot ASAP.

  Thank you so much for the shout-out here, too, Keith and I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for your work here. I really enjoy so much learning about other blogs out there. It, unfortunately, can be detrimental to my own writing because I enjoy READING so much, but it is wonderful to see what others are doing through blogs in all of France. This is a great compendium and catalog of blogs from France and I recommend it all the time to people who want a resource of where to find other blogs.

  Keep up the good work.

Other Links to this Post

1. A Taste of Garlic » Wolfgang’s Story — May 22, 2010 @ 4:06 am

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