Welcome!
To the English version of Idle Fantasies.
The site
I write about short adventures in nature, through a series of articles or texts which are interspersed with photos so you can get a much better sense of being there with me. Activities include hiking, biking, canoeing, scuba diving. There are trips on land, water and underwater, in all directions and in all seasons because I was never any good at choosing!
The latest adventure
Through France by bike
In late October and early November 2021, I rode my old mountain bike across France from Fontainebleau to Roquemaure, near Avignon.
Other trips
An hiking tour in Oisan
I take you on a tour around the Oisan massif, on the GR54, one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the French Alps.
South Maldives atolls
An account of two weeks of sea navigation and scuba diving through the atolls of the southern Maldives. Fantastic!
So far, so close
Let me take you on a singular exploration, that of the Loing – a close river which I wanted to explore by kayak from its distant source.
Why the title?
Fantaisies Buissonnières is difficult to translate into English. These two words, put together, play on the whimsical nature of some of my adventures but at the same time, play on the connotations of a typically French expression, faire l’école buissonnière, which means to skip school and idle away one’s time down country lanes hedged with bushes (buisson is the French word for bush). This conjures up, therefore, the notion of escaping the daily grind, of jaunts marked by an element of whimsy and childlike curiosity. Plus, given that I work in a school, I find it even funnier!
Articles
Not all articles have been translated yet, but here is a small sample
Putting an end to zero risk
In the name of zero risk, our infantile modern societies have made cowardice a cardinal virtue, bypassing individual and responsible caution. Let’s get it over with.
The little Seine in a kayak
At the beginning A realistic summer project: going down the Petite Seine. That is to say the part of the river that starts from its source and flows to the
Ultralight backpacking
Or the art of the MUL, as the french initiated say, which simply means the Marche Ultra légère, in other words : the ultralight backpacking.
Site's sections
My Fantasies are, in fact, planned around the means I use to escape: on foot for walks lasting several days, by bike for some free road trips anywhere, by canoe for descending largely unknown rivers and in a diving suit for exploring the extraordinary undersea world of diving. Under the Bazaar, you will find advice on equipment and miscellaneous articles.
By clicking the images below, you’ll land on the french sections. The translated articles have a little Union Jack appearing in the summary. Just click on the article which interests you, and then click again for the english version 🇬🇧.
Who am I?
You can find out more by clicking on the mystery image below!
This English welcome page
Has been translated from the french site by my colleague and friend Shaun Corrigan who has kindly agreed to offer his bilingual skills to develop the Idle Fantasies website. Thank you so much, Shaun, for your great work. As a token of my appreciation, I swear that from now on I will only wear red socks 😉!
Do the Idle Fantasies really need an English version?
Sure ya, betcha, as my Minnesotan friends say. My site is voluntary and recreational – it is not at all about taking over the planet. Yet, I chose to have some of my writing translated as I have friends across the world who are not able to read in French and who would, therefore, miss out on reading about my adventures. Photos, by themselves, are okay but it’s always better when you can understand the captions!
All the articles are not translated. However, from the French site, you will be able to recognize the texts available in English : the introduction always includes the special link to the English version 🇬🇧.
Let's keep in touch
Enjoy looking around the site. And don’t hesitate to leave me a comment – in English – on the articles you like. Or not. We’ll talk about it. You can also write to me using the contact form below.
