Une balançoire, or swing, in Paris to illustrate today's word…. une saute d'humeur     : mood swing No dog is immune to a mood swing.Aucun chien n'est à l'abri d'une saute d'humeur (from the book Tout sur la psychologie d'un chien (All about Dog Psychology) A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE     by Kristi Espinasse This past Tuesday, nervous about the aller-retour to the big city, … Continue reading Mood swings in French + Catcalling Workmen?

In this week's Wine Spectator Magazine, Robert Camuto has written a cohesive account of how things fell apart at our vineyard near Bandol. Find a link to the article in the following column. BASCULER     : to topple over, to change dramatically Il y a 15 mois, alors que tout "roulait" pour moi, ma vie et celle de ma famille a peu à peu … Continue reading Basculer: How bad choices (and an old tractor) killed a winemaker’s dream: Jean-Marc story is featured in this week’s Wine Spectator

Solitude revives the soul and the senses. Solitude is the crucible of the mind, the good is purified there; the fake evaporates there.La solitude ravive l'âme et les sens. La solitude est le creuset de l'esprit, le bon s'y épure; le faux s'y évapore. Citation de Pierre-Claude-Victor Boiste ; Dictionnaire universel (1800) Photo taken in St Cyr-sur-Mer, at our former vineyard (there were also these magnificent … Continue reading Les Bienfaits de la Solitude or The Benefits of being alone

After I began watching Invisible People (homeless interviews) a series of unusual things happened here in the sunny south of France. Our heater broke. Then it snowed. Then our water heater broke. Then our car would not start. And then our daughter's car broke down! And then I ended up all alone for two weeks. This is not to say that you will have bad … Continue reading Third greatest Frenchman after Charles de Gaulle and Louis Pasteur + Charlie Chaplin’s big French heart