I love hearing how people came to love learning languages and remember Eddie Izzard's 'Le singe est dans l'arbre' routine from when I first started teaching French. For me, it was aged 5, realising you got a bigger scoop of ice cream if you asked in Spanish.
www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
A photo of Dr Fiona Spotswood and Prof Martin Hurcombe, University of Bristol.
Workshop participants share their ideas.
Alpine scene.
Our third international outing for Project FIAS this year and an amazing few days in the Alps working with the team from CREPS AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES workshopping ideas for promoting gender inclusivity across a range of outdoor sports. Such great energy and enthusiasm. Thanks to all involved.
Nearly everything you need to know about why I was drawn to studying French is contained in this video.
youtu.be/KKhnDzRgsW8?...
Book, tea and my appalling handwriting.
Old school research day.
Portrait of Félix Boillot, Professor of French, University of Bristol, WW1 veteran, Free French member in WW2.
Live illustration of our workshop at SFS annual conference this week by Camille Aubry.
In between all the sports histoty, I have been researching a former professor of French at Bristol, Félix Boillot (veteran of WW1, member of the Free French). So it was great to share his story with colleagues researching the history of French Studies in the early 20th century earlier this week.
Come and join us in Bristol on 27 June for this free event bringing perspectives on the future of French and Francophone Studies together from the secondary, further and HE sectors. www.tickettailor.com/events/unive...
Say hi to Claude from me. I hope he's well.
🚨Job klaxon🚨 Opportunity for an oral historian interested in the history of swimming, water access and ‘blue spaces’ to work at Newcastle with the wonderful Elizabeth Turk on an interdisciplinary Wellcome project. Full details here jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...
Join our colleague Prof Bradley Stephens for "Victor Hugo: Astonishing Drawings" at the French Institute in London on the 12th of May
Details and tickets:
www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...
Félix Boillot, 1915.
Thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon in the University of Bristol's Special Collections researching Professor Félix Boillot, former Head of @frenchatbristol.bsky.social, First World War veteran and member of the Free French. More on him at our panel @frenchstudies.bsky.social on WW2.
And me!
Come join this forthcoming webinar exploring the role of performing arts in preventing gambling harms in Uganda. Details below.
www.bristol.ac.uk/research/gro...
I've had the great privilege of working with my fantastic colleagues, Fiona Spotswood and Maria Moxey, on promoting women's participation in mountain biking in recent years. Here's a short film about some of our work. youtu.be/iCKvRL3r55c?...
Yes. And at the risk of sounding like an old fart, I liked it better before.
Still navigating my way around the new Retronews site. Has anyone found a way to stop it from displaying every single individual page of a publication instead of individual issues? Am I missing something, or is it just not as good as it used to be?
I'm really keen to hear from any Arts and Humanities scholars working on gambling, past or present, nationally, internationally, transnationally. Just to know what sort of research is going on out there.
Alliance Française students, Waterstones Bristol
Thanks to the Alliance Française, Bristol, for a great evening discussing women and the Resistance with local French students. (Yes, people still want to learn languages, Cardiff.) There's something really magical about being allowed in a book shop after closing time, too.
Call for Papers for this year's International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport (ISHPES) Congress, which will take place from 22–25 July 2025 at UNEFS Bucharest. This is a hybrid event.
ishpes2025.unefs.ro
Newspaper clipping from Gloucestershire Echo, 1947.
Finally uncovered the darkest of family secrets - my grandfather was fined for cycling through a stop sign. The shame of it.
I'll be giving a talk (in French) on women in the Resistance through a reading of Elsa Triolet's clandestinely published novella 'Les Amants d'Avignon', 6th February at Waterstones, Bristol. Free entry. All welcome. Details below.
afbristol.org.uk/events/femme...
Fiona Spotswood and Martin Hurcombe in front of the Ministère de l'Economie
Amazing time developing inclusive approaches to off-road cycling tourism with the Ministère de l'Economie, Luxembourg. And so great to be working working in such a vibrant, multilingual context. Kudos to European train travel too - only 6 hours from London.
Really happy to have been asked to contribute a chapter to this excellent volume. Not on cycling (other sports are available) but marathon running in Paris in the Belle Epoque.
www.peterlang.com/document/134...
CFP: Combat, Spectacle, Sport and War, Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, 28-29 October 2025.
royalhistsoc.org/calendar/com...
Sunrise over Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
Bristol's statement bridge being particularly eye-catching this morning.
Me pretending I won an award.
Rider of the Year awards ceremony stage.
I am truly honoured... to have held someone else's trophy for a bit. Joking aside, great evening at the annual rider of the year awards hosted by Our Media last night. Genuine celebration of all that is great about the sport.
👋. Please add me.
Yes, please add me.
I work on French sports history among other things.
