New Lockdown

[ChrisK]

Prefer a double decker, but I’ve never gone off topic…

[cat]

SF has ALWAYS had a ‘you are free to go off topic’ approach. It is an intrinsic part of our dinner party ethos. There are plenty of sites which don’t do this so I can only advise members who strongly object to thread drift to use those sites instead.

Very occasionally this policy diverges as in the New Vaccine thread.
If any member wants to create a topic which is information only (as Graham has done)and request that this is adhered to (again as he did), I am happy to consider this.

I hope this clarifies things for you.

I

[cat]

I really, really want a Topic now!!!

[Fred1]

@Geof_Cox

including many small (new) bookshops (secondhand ones survive - you of course Frédéric have the wonderful Barter Books!)

Speaking of which (second-hand bookshops), since you live in Brittany, when your new lockdown ends get yourself to the lovely medieval village of Bécherel if you’ve never been (border of Ille-et-Vilaine and Côtes-d’Armor), it’s a booklover’s paradise and the first in France to specialise in second-hand books (Hay-on-Wye and the Bouquinistes in Paris were the inspiration).

There are officially 8 book villages/towns in France (all gathered in the “Fédération des Villes, cités et villages du livre en France”) but Bécherel was the first one, probably the best one and is the only one in Western France (alongside Montmorillon in the Vienne département, if you go for a Grand Ouest definition).

[Une boulangerie, deux coiffeurs et dix-huit librairies pour un seul village : cherchez l’erreur ? Il n’y en a pas. La commune bretonne de Bécherel (Ille-et-Vilaine, 750 habitants) a été la première en France, en 1989, à se métamorphoser.
[…]
Des libraires de livres anciens et d’occasion, des professionnels des arts et des métiers du livre tels que relieurs, doreurs, graveurs, calligraphes, enlumineurs, fabricants de papier, imprimeries artisanales, éditeurs,se sont installés à demeure au sein de ces cités auxquelles ils apportent une nouvelle vie. Toute l’année, les évènements et activités culturelles rythment les saisons: salons et festivals du livre, expositions, rencontres d’auteurs, lectures, ateliers pédagogiques,forums, débats, ventes-signatures, théâtre, concerts…](https://Des libraires de livres anciens et d’occasion, des professionnels des arts et des métiers du livre tels que relieurs, doreurs, graveurs, calligraphes, enlumineurs, fabricants de papier, imprimeries artisanales, éditeurs,se sont installés à demeure au sein de ces cités auxquelles ils apportent une nouvelle vie. Toute l’année, les évènements et activités culturelles rythment les saisons: salons et festivals du livre, expositions, rencontres d’auteurs, lectures, ateliers pédagogiques,forums, débats, ventes-signatures, théâtre, concerts…)

[Northwest of Rennes, Bécherel is a must for French-speaking lovers of literature. This charming medieval town is France’s equivalent of Hay-on-Wye and has a year-long events calendar. When you’ve nosed around the bookshops, take a wander through its atmospheric streets.

Bécherel officially became a Book Town in 1989 when the first Fête du Livre was held; it is now an annual event, which takes place at Easter and is complemented by a series of events throughout the year including a reading festival in October. The town has around 15 bookshops, some with cafés, which specialise in every subject under the sun and range from rare first editions to contemporary fiction. A book market takes place in the town on the first Sunday of every month.](Bécherel | Brittany tourism)

[Griffin36]

There you go cat, generous to a fault that’s me .

[Mat_Davies]

"What has a hazelnut in every bite…" - you know the rest…

Something to do with Sciurus carolinensis scat

[cat]

I’m not sure whether that is really generous or really, really mean!

[plod]

It seems to me that there are basically two types of thread - an information one where somebody asks how to do something. In this case thread drift is irritating and I hope I would not follow the drift, but I suspect on occasions I have. The other type is an opinion piece and I regard this as more like general conversation between a group of people. It seems natural for these conversations to develop and deviate.

[graham]

@cat @james
@strudball made a suggestion in another thread which seems to have been overlooked and might help.

French Vaccine Programme

Fully understand your views on topic drift, the problem then becomes that if two similar ones run there is confusion…much better if there was self discipline or the moderators policed them better…or the site had a "social thread section " for chit chat and lighthearted stuff and an “information section” that avoided the problems outlined in the originators thread and was policed firmly. There are several threads with very similar content/comments about driving licences and also Brexit just to illustrate my point. The answer is not to "just start another thread,…there is a risk that the site will sink into chaos and people will cease to use it or take it seriously. Comment from the Moderators please.

I think there is value in what both John and Ron suggest - it just needs some discipline and perhaps a tweak somewhere to persistently indicate the type of topic in view - perhaps in the topic banner - to serve as a reminder about the “rules” on that topic alone?
I’m sure people will co-operate if they know and understand the reasons behind it. It perhaps might also make managing the topic more transparent.

[cat]

The problem is time…we do both have full time jobs outside of this!

It is already nigh on impossible to get everyone to post the topics in the correct categories- and that’s with a drop down menu! Periodically we do a clean up but tbh, I / we are loath to add an extra level of admin. Will discuss with James though.

Have a great day everyone

[graham]

@cat The appeal that @james made some time ago in the Lounge for members with sufficient Trust level to monitor and change categories has worked well which I am sure has helped reduced your workload. I (and I certainly know of others) who consistently help the site management in this regard.
A “work around” might be a generally accepted/understood flag or word form at the beginning of the thread title (which is itself persistent) to indicate it’s purpose which will ease pressure on the Team. I’m almost certain this can be achieved with little effort and there will be benefits…
or or could be repurposed for this perhaps… The [red triangular on post] one would seem most fitting to be used as the first thing in the topic title. Just need to find a way to include the flag in the title

[UKfloatedaway]

@Fred1

Bécherel

I’ve heard of Bécherel and its books. Never yet got there but would certainly like to. At the moment I swap English books with other English people and I get French books from the donation point.

[UKfloatedaway]

I don’t mind this thread wandering, by the way, it’s fun to chat, and it’s like my thoughts. My brain sounds like a happy fax machine.

[UKfloatedaway]

Posting English chocolate when it’s not available is cruel.

[strudball]

@UKfloatedaway

don’t mind this thread wandering, by the way, it’s fun to ch

I understand that, but as I have said and agree with Graham some topics are serious and frivolous additions aren’t sometimes appropriate.
Some are related to ones posted by people with worries or wanting info’ for very genuine problems/issues

[UKfloatedaway]

True.

[Geof_Cox]

Yes I’ve been to Bécherel - loved it, and would go regularly if I were a bit closer. I got nice old editions of Camus there (whose Hemingway-esque style, by the way, is rather easier for a non-native reader than many French classics).

If all this covid nonsense ever ends I fancy a long road trip - and you’ve sparked the idea of a ‘book towns’ tour-de-France.

And just to relate this back to topic: interesting to note that even in this lockdown nearly all the shops in Bécherel will remain open!

[UKfloatedaway]

I wish I lived there. I would like to run a book shop.
I make my friends laugh by saying it’s my ambition, but it is.

[Geof_Cox]

Are you far from Mellionnec Annajayne? There’s a lovely little bookshop there - small but good secondhand English section, well chosen new French books with a bit of an ‘alternative’ inclination (environment issues, etc - but lots of literature and arts), nice vegetarian food and drink (probably not serving during lockdown).

Librairie-café le temps qu'il fait Mellionnec

[UKfloatedaway]

It sounds good. It’s outside of my zone during lockdown but after lockdown it would certainly be of interest.