Some readers have asked about the entomology of the town's name and the husband of Madame Helene Baron kindly referred me to this explanation: There is no relationship between the English word condom and this town. The toponym Condom comes from the Gaulish words condate and magos combined into Condatomagos, which means "market or field, of the confluence". Condatómagos evolved into Condatóm and then into Conddóm. Condomwas first recorded in Latin in the 10t...

Recently I wrote to a Church leader who was about to retire from office as there was a serious issue I had to raise with him. At the end of the letter I suggested that all those who were given leadership roles should in retirement (before if possible), take time to reflect on the issues he/she dealt with and the decisions made, while in office. Such a reflection might include: were they right or wrong; as well as decisions that should have be...

Dear fellow, following Pilgrims The vagaries of the pilgrim's path are reason for some concern. Caused, as they are, at times mostly, by self-infliction, due to lack of French and secondly just enough IT knowledge to make simple errors, which seem to defy gentle corrections. A language example, the first of many: yesterday on arrival here in the delightful town of Lectoure which is cited as one of the most beautiful in rural France, there was still time for a...

Dear fellow pilgrim, I am sitting here in my little hotel in Lauzerte, which has seen better days…the double cabins are tired, the contents minimal. It is run by one very obliging man who speaks excellent English and I am the sole guest, for whom he is cooking my meal while I bask in the mild evening sun. It's the 23rd September my sole surviving sister's birthday and I have completed over half the journey to St. Jean Pied de Port. So, I thought at this po...

Hello again, There are two French ladies, sitting in front of me about to eat. They just told me they were at the Church way back { St Pierre) when I forgot my hat and had to return, (discovering at the same time that I had gone in the wrong direction by about 2 Ks.) I have become attached to this hat, obsessively so! Therefore I apologise to the Lord for not taking it off when I visit a church. One sad aspect of the walk so far is there have been no Masses, ...