This image (taken in Trans-en-Provence) seemed a little more classy than the other one that was set to appear here. * * * Oh, no! you say, such a lot of potty talk lately! Believe me, I'd rather chat about French farm hens or even … Continue reading waters
Sainte Céciliens and the art of conviviality. convive (kon-veev) noun, masculine and feminine guest (at table), fellow diner * * * Rarement nous pouvons découvrir un homme qui dise avoir vécu heureux, et qui, son temps fini, quitte la vie content comme un convive … Continue reading convive
Le bercail / Home. (Picture of Uncle Jean-Claude installing the temporary "stairs" until we get the chance to build some…) le bercail (behr-kie ["kie" like "pie"]) noun, masculine 1. fold, sheepfold 2. home, the family fold Quand les bushman d'Afrique du Sud rentrent au bercail, ils s'enduisent la langue de boue pour exprimer leur attachement à leur sol. When South African San bushmen come home, … Continue reading bercail
Our dog, Braise, in all her French glory–and towering over her kingdom of Ste Cécile. saigner (say-nyay) verb to bleed Quand le lion saigne, les chacals reprennent courage.When the lion bleeds, the jackals regain courage. . After searching for weeks, I found the first clue smack in … Continue reading saigner
Where pigs and poules once roamed. The little barn before the bulldozers arrived. le chantier (shon-tee-yay) noun, masculine 1. building site (construction); workshop, ship-yard 2. a place where great disorder reigns ("lieu où règne un grand désordre") –Petite Larousse 2000 The famous words of Général Lyautey: Un chantier vaut un bataillon. A workshop is worth a battalion. "'A workshop is … Continue reading chantier
Independence Day: My son Max is headed to Italy! crapulerie (krap-ew-lair-ee) noun, feminine 1. villainy 2. a dishonest act [from "crapule" (scoundrel) and borrowed from the latin "crapula" (intoxication") — synonyms include "la canaillerie" (a low trick) and "la fripouillerie" (roguishness)] * * *Car on sent là…toute l’écume du monde, toute … Continue reading crapulerie
Sweet competition for that ol' classic menthe à l'eau. la menthe (mont) noun, feminine 1. mint Some accidental wisdom from a 19th century French distillery book:…on doit prendre la menthe au moment de sa floraison.…we must take the mint the moment it flowers. –from the "Nouveau Manuel Complet du Distillateur Liquoriste" by Lebeaud, de Fontenelle & Malepeyre. 1879.. … Continue reading menthe
It’s a rat race even for plants: French hollyhocks trying to ketchup catch up to the vines above. ketchup (keht-chuhp) noun, masculine 1. ketchup (or catsup) Sure, point it out. "But ketchup isn’t a French word!" you argue. Yahhuh it is! (Well, more of a word than yah + uh-huh or "yahhuh" which, though fun to say, isn’t a word in French OR English). If … Continue reading ketchup
Une bribe, or fragment of an scene; taken during summer break in Brittany. As for today's word, "une bribe," (pronounced ewn breeb) how about beginning with a French definition?* Bribes, then, are "phrases prises ça et là" (sentences taken here and there) and "passages décousus d'un text, d'une conversation" (disconnected passages cut from a text, from a conversation). That's right, "snippets". Bribes are bits, scraps, … Continue reading bribe
The fixer-upper where we are fixing to move to. The glass is shattered, the dream intact. une niche (neesh) noun, feminine 1. alcove, nook, recess; kennel, doghouse 2. trick, prank, hoax La vertu, comme le corbeau, niche dans les ruines.Virtue, like the raven, nests in ruins. –Anatole France. … Continue reading A Saint in a “Niche”
