The world is my oyster

At this time of year I tend to have a look at the various online resources I subscribe to and decide which ones I can eliminate, as the costs can really add up over time, and some of them are less than vital. I've already cancelled one newspaper subscription, but on Saturday I learned from a helpful person on Bluesky that the Bibliothèque Nationale de France has a virtual (and physical) library pass which costs the magnificent sum of ... 24 euros a year and can be applied for online. Without ever setting foot in the BNF building you have access to thousands of newspapers and magazines from all over the world, as well as a more limited selection of ebooks, plus dictionaries and online databases.

It was a no-brainer to sign up, and I've already saved money just by no longer needing to pay Libération every month. Likewise, S subscribes to Spanish paper La Vanguardia and that's available too, along with many major titles in English. The weather was too grim for more than a quick walk, so I took advantage of it by downloading the Pressreader app this afternoon and browsing through the many possibilities. S still thinks it's too good to be true :)

I also made crackers with the surplus starter, so dinner was cheese and crackers by the fire. Oh, another hot tip: podcast Strangers on a Bench by Tom Rosenthal, which I listened to on my walk. He walks up to lone people sitting on benches in parks and asks them questions in a naive and open-hearted way, sounding genuinely delighted to meet them. I'm sure it doesn't work with everyone, but the first two episodes have been really interesting -- amazing how people will open up to a stranger with the right approach.