How to spread out, or "étaler" a bulldozed building…with grace and artistry in today’s story. étaler (ay-tal-ay) verb to spread, to spread out, to display, to lay out to put on, smooth on to spread out (payments) to parade, to flaunt, to show off Ne ronge pas ton frein, ce que tu as sur le coeur, dis-le. Tu verras qu’un secret étalé au soleil rétrécit … Continue reading étaler
If you are ever in Sainte Cécile, please drop by Feuilles des Vignes and pick up a book. Rock on, en français, with Mademoiselle K. Her album, "Ça Me Vexe," is available here. The next word will go out on Monday (due to the pouring of cement floors around here…).allonger (alon-zhay) verb 1. to lengthen, make longer; to extend 2. to stretch (out) 3. to … Continue reading allonger
There are artistic oeuvres around every French corner at this former flower farm. "Chasing Matisse: A Year in France Living My Dream," by James Morgan. "A lovely memoir, travelogue and art history…Morgan's passion…might even inspire some readers to follow dreams of their own." –Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. More about the book, here. oeuvre (uh-vruh) noun, feminine 1. work 2. task 3. deed 4. ("oeuvre" is also a … Continue reading oeuvre
Random photo of my friend Tess's chickens. They love to sunbathe & shoot the feather-light breeze in French or English (they are bilingual, after all). la gueule-de-loup (gul-duh-loo) noun, feminine 1. wolf's mouth 2. snapdragon …les gueules-de-loup roses baîllaient dans les fentes des pierres……the rosy snapdragons gaped in the cracks between the stones… –from "Les Misérables" by Victor HugoRead … Continue reading gueule-de-loup
Funny-faced faucets, or robinets, in Brignoles, France. After 30 years in the computer software industry, Michelle and Paul Caffrey relinquished their careers determined to reinvent themselves. The fifty-something couple sacrificed everything they owned to buy a converted 1906 Dutch barge. Click here for more about their French adventure. le robinet (ro-bee-nay) noun, masculine tap, faucet La créativité, ça ne s'ouvre pas comme un robinet, il … Continue reading robinet
The brook beside our "casbah" (our house, left, behind the rubble; to the right: our neighbor's house) déboucher (day-boo-shay) verb 1. to unblock 2. to uncork, to open 3. to lead to Le manque d'amour du prochain ne peut déboucher que sur une société d'égoïsme et de désespoir. The absence of love for one's neighbor can only lead to a society of egoism and despair. … Continue reading déboucher
Carignan and Grenache grapes. picoter (peeko-tay) verb : to tingle, to tickle, to smart, sting. A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFESet out to renovate a house with your nervy counterpart while living "on site" and sooner or later sparks will fly. Add outer tension to the internal kind and you've got yourself a mouthwatering recipe for one electrifying pie–so mouthwatering, so electric that you might … Continue reading picoter
My aunt-in-law, Marie-Françoise, weaves a "lavender bottle" at the picnic table. tresser (tres-ay) verb 1. to plait, to braid; to twist 2. to weave, wreathe (basket, garland) synonyms: natter (to plait, braid), entrelacer (to interlace, intertwine) Tressons, tressons ces fleurs, hâtons-nous, jeune amie, Les songes et les fleurs demain ne seront plus! Let us weave, let us weave these flowers, let us hurry, young friend, … Continue reading tresser
The Beverly Hillbillies meet the Hexagone… Photo taken in front of our "baraque": a bidet, a bécane, a lot of beton and, beyond, a breathtaking view. bécane (bay-kan) noun, feminine bicycle, bike, machine "Bécane" is also slang for "motorcycle" and "machine". You can use the noun to designate a computer, a calculator or any machine upon which one works. Oh, the possibilities for employing today's … Continue reading bécane
The rubble rousers were at it again. Another photo of our home, under re-construction, and our dog, Braise (just back from a dip in the creek). casser (kah-say) verb to break, crack, snap Il faut casser le noyau pour avoir l'amande.To have the kernel, you must crack the shell. –Plautus . The theme of our first week, here at a chantier* that doubles as home, … Continue reading casser
