To win the mysterious French antique, on offer in today's story, simply say hello, here in the comments box + let us know where you are writing in from. After randomly choosing a number, I will announce a winner on Friday. More about the giveaway, in today's story column.
Photo by Alison Johnston Lohry (Note to self: next time you post a photo of your person, choose any other post title… besides "Scatterbrained"! P.S. do you see a scar on my forehead? Ta da! This photo was taken four months after the first operation and a week before the second operation, the one mentioned in the previous post.)
étourdi(e) ay-toor-dee
: scatty, scatterbrained; flighty
Audio File: listen to our daughter, Jackie, pronouce today's word and example sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Il est bien étourdi; mais, entre nous, son coeur est bon.
He is quite featherbrained; but, between you and me, he has a good heart. —Voltaire, Complete Works of Voltaire
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
Scatterbrained
I am having a fickle of a time deciding what to write about today. It isn't a matter of writer's block, or la page blanche, the difficulty here is l'embarras du choix! So many possibilities! Which path to choose when it is just too tempting to amble down each windy road and lose oneself in that whimsical place affectionately known as "Just Around The Corner"?
Enough dreaming, it's time to choose a topic! Let's see…
I might tell you about our daughter's renewed passion for jumping (BMX bikes, this time—and not horses!). Jackie's hobby has me aching to line our concrete terrasse with mattresses! I watch, from the kitchen window, as our 14-year-old builds a new jump, adding yet another vineyard stone beneath the wobbly ramp (a repurposed wooden shutter) after each adrenaline-rich stunt….
Then again, I might write about some of the readers who come to visit. But then there have been so many…. To write about one would be to leave out the others. Quel dilemme! Perhaps I could backtrack… beginning with a photo from the most recent visit? (See the end of this post.)
Encore une fois, I had thought to write a story about a thank-you gift, the one I am trying to think up for the surgeon's assistante that I see this afternoon (stitches come out today!). What to give someone whom I know nothing about, but whose gentle confidence has touched me? Du vin? Des fleurs?
I should also update you with the good news: Max, 16, passed part of his driver's exam!: oui, il a réussi le code! This brings him to the "hands-on" part of the exam: the actual driving with an instructor! (such a relief to turn over the co-pilot seat—still wet from my sweaty, gripping hands—to a trained teacher!)
As for writing topics, I also thought this might be a good time to bring up the subject of email… please forgive me if you have sent in a note and if I haven't gotten back to you! I am trying, but no matter how many activities I cut out, in order to devote time to answering email, I still can't manage to keep up with incoming messages. I feel terrible about this… please know that I read and appreciate every single word you send, whether via email or via the comments box. Thank you so much!
There were about four or five or fifteen other lovely things, in addition to your treasured notes, that I wanted to talk to you about today, but time is up! So I will get to the fun part of this scatterbrained offering, this anti-essay that ran away to that curious "Just around the corner" place…
The G I V E A W A Y !
In thanks for reading this French word journal, I want to offer you the chance to win a little treasure! The trésor is currently a secret, but here's a hint: anyone would love it: young or "wizened", man or woman. If you like French antiques, you'll love this historic memento, one from my collection… one I adore and would love to offer you!
You might frame the antique… or wear it (making an eccentric necklace or an avant-garde pin?); you could put it in a glass box or make a whimsical collage…. You could carry it around in your pocket as a lucky charm or use it to mark a page in a book (never mind the bulk!). It could make a cool paper weight… though you might have to tie an extra something to it.
To win this antique simply leave a greeting here, in the comments box, along with your city. Example: "Hola from Jules in Puerto Vallarta!"
I will post the winner's name on Friday. No matter where you live in the world, you may enter the giveaway, by leaving a comment here. (Sorry, but no comments via email).
French Vocabulary
(section under construction… please check back!)
la page blanche = "the white page" or "le blocage de l'écrivain" (writer's block)
l'embarras du choix = a great variety of choices, an embarrassing number of choices
la terrasse = a paved area (sidewalk) or patio
quel dilemme = what a dilemma
encore une fois = then again
assistant(e) = assistant
du vin = some wine
des fleurs = some flowers
oui, il a réussi le code = yes, he passed the driver's exam
le trésor = treasure
I had a good tchatche, or chat, with artist, fiddler, and writer, Alison, who lives part of the year in the postcard pretty village of Sauve. Photo taken by Jackie Espinasse.
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Hello Kristen from snowy Fort Collins, CO. USA!
I so enjoy your website. I am trying very hard
to learn French. The language is so beautiful
& I envy the culture & lifestyle, so I really look forward to your writing.
Best wishes,
Barbara
Costello
Bonjour de Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Good morning from Debbie in Sydney, Australia!
Bonjour. Je suis de Memphis.
Hello, c’est presque printemps ici en East Haven, Connecticut
Hello from Wendy, Sydney, Australia.
I really look forward to your postings – you have a knack of making everyday life special, and I thank you for allowing us to share it with you.
Bonjour from Philadelphia, PA. J’aime bien French Word a Day et j’ai donne Words in a French Life a ma belle soeur pour Noel 2011. Too bad the computer doesn’t do French!
Dear Kristin, Greetings from Concord,(near San Francisco)California. Hope you’re having a brilliant day!
Bon soir from Santa Barbara, California. And thank you for creating such a fun little “mini-event.” I love reading the comments and seeing the people from all over the world who subscribe to your blog. Keep up the good work!
Bonjour de Victoria, Ile de Vancouver, Canada. My mind is on France today first because I received a post card from an friend in Aix and then because of your lovely contest. Merci beaucoup.
Bonjour from Jervis Bay, Australia.
Bonjour from Kansas City, Missouri!
Bonjour -from Lynne in Bermuda AND Carcassonne France
Once agin-stay well my phantom friend.
Lynne
Un petit coucou de Boulder, Colorado!
Howdy from Alison in Richmond, Virginia.
Bonjour from Lorraine in Ashland,Oregon. Start-ed the day with an inch of snow. We are ending it with glorious sunshine…much like Haute Provence this time of year. I look forward to all of your posts. Bon Chance!
Bonjour Kristin, from Judy in Scottsdale (near your hometown!)
G’day from Dubbo, NSW, Australia!
Hello from St Paul, MN
I’ve always enjoyed your posts and was thrilled to find you again!
Karen
Bonjour from sunny Northern California, specifically Mill Valley.
Avoir,
Diana
hello from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania!
Bonjour and Hello from Debbie in Portland, Oregon USA. It hasn’t rained in the last 10 minutes…yay!
Bonjour from Dana in San Antonio, Texas!
A friendly hello from Cambridge, Mass!
Bonjour from Sunny in Fort Collins, Colorado. I love immersing myself in all things French, so am delighted to have discovered your books and posts. I especially love all the resources along each side, many of which I already own and have read, but not all. Woohoo! More fun in store! Merci!!
Howdy from Patty in Houston, TX
Hello from Great Falls, VA ~ USA
Love your writing. Just finished your book!
Bonjour from John in Forest Hills NY. It appears you’ve built up a huge following!
Warmest wishes from the First State Dover Delaware
Bonjour Kristin.I started subscribing last year before my trip to Honfleur – which I loved! Have kept up the subscription ever since and passed the link to a friend who will be there this year. Love the word a day, regrettably don’t always have time to read the whole thing, but think it is great.
I am located in San Clemente, California, USA.
A bientot, Lynne
Bonjour! I really enjoy French Word A Day and have supported your sponsors and turned on my fellow francophile friends to the site! Thank you for all you write. My name is Chris from St. Paul, Minnesota USA
Hey! Love your blog from Cynthia in Greensboro, NC
Coucou from Allyson in Montvale, NJ!
Hello from Angie, Yakima, Washington (the northwest)
Hello Kristin. I’ve read for years but have never commented. I’m writing from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
Hello/bonjour from Jocelyn in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
Hello from Chico, California.
Kristin and Marc–Wish you were here in San Anselmo, CA to help me eat up the four pounds of wild mushrooms I just collected.
Cantharellus infundibuliformis and Dentinum repandum from the wilds of Mendocino.
Greetings from cold, dark, chilly Wickford Rhode Island (It’s evening).
Salut de Northridge, California where it actually rained today! My goodness, I don’t even see a trace of a scar on your forehead in this most recent photo. It’s marvelous what they can do now. Such good news!
Mabuhay from Manila!!!!!!!!
Bon soir from Darlington, PA, USA
Hello, from beautiful Half Moon Bay in northern California!
I send good vibrations from Manhattan Beach, California
Hello 🙂 Warragul, Melbourne Victoria.
Greetings Kristi, from my little farm in the mountains in Applegate, Oregon! You look luminous!
Congrats Max!
Hello from Boston. Bonne soiree!
Bonjour et bonne chance from Waleska, Ga USA
Greetings Kristi, from my little farm tucked away in the mountains in Applegate, Oregon. You look luminous! Wishing you a sweetly serene day!
Congrats Max!
Salut de Brisbane, Australie!
Chris S