Author Archives: Suellen Grealy

About Suellen Grealy

In 2011, a series of coincidences led my husband Joel, our cat Ted and me away from London, where we lived quite happily for 30 years, to Nice, where Joel grew up. While he and his sister ran their restaurant, I wrote a novel. Family being family, Joel and his sister no longer work together. Writing being writing, the novel lingers on... Meanwhile, we've found ways of living a completely different life from the one we had in London, including running our own restaurant together, 7 Villermont. The only constants are our Ted, our now-battered Peugeot, and each other. Everything else is a complete surprise

August 28, 2022: Yes, a novel!

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Suellen Grealy

WHEN I started doing voluntary work in the offices of the charity War on Want in London in the 1990s, the manager thought I was out of earshot when she asked a valued senior volunteer what he thought of me. … Continue reading →

Posted in Nice, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

December 23: The 2021 end-of-year letter

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Suellen Grealy

I love the carefully selected jolliness of the round-robin letters we find stuffed into Christmas cards. Marvellous holidays, high-achieving children, personal bests, loving family gatherings, cakes that always rise… Usually I’ve already had news of the flight cancellations and endless … Continue reading →

Posted in Restaurants | 6 Comments

December 14: A few little truths

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Suellen Grealy

  I fantasize about living in the mountains with big stinky dogs and maybe a donkey. It would be so easy, there are mountains right behind us, and we could easily buy a big, isolated place with lots of land, … Continue reading →

Posted in Restaurants | 3 Comments

September 22: an uneven year

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Suellen Grealy

My candle burns at both ends;    It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—    It gives a lovely light!    

Posted in Restaurants | 1 Comment

November 5: life after Ted

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Suellen Grealy

Always there somewhere, and then, not.  

Posted in Restaurants | 4 Comments

July 7: 40 years later

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Suellen Grealy

  On July 7, 1977, 77 WABC radio in New York was a music station that played an endless round of Top 20 hits. I was a 20-year-old driving my parents’ blue Chevy Impala to pick up my 14-year-old sister … Continue reading →

Posted in Restaurants | 5 Comments

February 22: Behind the bar

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Suellen Grealy

There’s an Edith Piaf song that goes, “Moi, j’essuie les verres au fond du café, j’ai bien trop à faire, pour pouvoir rêver”, which roughly translates as, “I’m drying glasses at the back of the café, I’ve got so much … Continue reading →

Posted in "7 Villermont", Nice, Restaurants | 4 Comments

December 31: the Christmas card apologist

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Suellen Grealy

   For the past 15 years at least, maybe even 20, I’ve been hand-making the Christmas cards that Joel and I send out. On the whole, I really love doing it, though it’s a project with many parts. I often … Continue reading →

Posted in "7 Villermont", Restaurant in Nice, France, Restaurants | 1 Comment

October 26: still here

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Suellen Grealy

Our new restaurant has been open for 12 full weeks now, and so far I’ve only really, really, really wanted to slap Joel in the face once. That’s probably pretty good going, don’t you think? It was when I dropped … Continue reading →

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September 12: Facebook, a memento mori

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Suellen Grealy

Before my mother married my father, she worked as a model and journalist, and for a company that handled public relations.  From the few photographs that exist of her post-Second World War London youth, it was a time filled with … Continue reading →

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