"Take a new road each day," Mom says. Like that, I discovered this quaint, unfamiliar rue on my way to our little Baptist church here in La Ciotat. The vine-flanked ruelle was as peaceful as the photo, with neighbors chatting at a window sill and laundry fluttering in the breeze.
TODAY'S WORD: un défaut (day-fo)
: fault, flaw, shortcoming, vice
la curiosité est un vilain défaut = curiosity killed the cat
AUDIO FILE: Listen to Jean-Marc read the French vocabulary in today's post:
Vocabulary List, click here to listen to the French
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
Coucou! I love this two-syllable, cozy French greeting for "hello, hiya, hey there, salut"–all very warm ways to reconnect after a brief absence. How did your summer go? Did you thrive or just survive? (Or a combination of the two?)
Ah, c'est la vie!
That is life indeed and, if you are new here, life or la vie quotidienne is the subject of these posts. Life and all of its joys and absurdities. Because family life is the heart of this journal, now is a good time to reintroduce you to our lovable (mostly–on a tous nos défauts!) cast of characters:
JULES: the matriarch of the family and my mom. Jules came to live with us here in La Ciotat 3 years ago. Time flies and so do her trusty friends: all the neighborhood birds who she feeds.
JEAN-MARC: a.k.a. "Chief Grape", my French husband, who began two vineyards in Provence. He currently runs a wine shop ("Le Vin Sobre") when he is not plotting his next sport adventure, like a triathlon in Spain
MAX: our 26-year-old son, who had the nerve to choose a career in wine after we made the difficult decision to sell our vineyard! (Now he dreams of having vines of his own!) Meantime, he works near Aix-en-Provence and loves the wine business.
JACKIE: our 23-year-old daughter, born and raised in France and who felt the need to discover her American roots. She currently lives in Miami where she is trying to decide whether to return to Fashion design school, learn finance, move to a new state or return to France….
SMOKEY: our 12-year-old golden retriever who survived a two-dog attack as a puppy. Scars and all, he keeps on trucking–and caring for my Mom (a job he assumed 3 years ago) keeps him going.
MR. SACKS: Jean-Marc's loveable 22-year-old sidekick (see a bunch of pictures of him here)
KRISTI: founder of French Word-A-Day.com, I grew up in Arizona, moved to France in 1992, and began this French word journal ten years later, as a way to carve out a place in my dream profession: writing. Thank you for reading and for keeping me employed!
YOU. Saperlipopette! I nearly left out a most important member of our French Word-a-Day family. YOU. It would mean a lot to all of us here if you would introduce yourself in the comments section below. What city do you call home? What's your favorite past-time? Are you old enough to remember WWII? Thank you. I look forward to reading your words and I thank you for reading mine as I gear up for a new year of postings. Bonne rentrée!
Kristi
FRENCH VOCABULARY
la rue = street, road
la ruelle = lane, narrow street, back alley
la curiosité est un vilain défaut = curiosity killed the cat
coucou = hey, hi there
salut = hi
c'est la vie = that's life
la vie quotidienne = daily life
on a tous nos défauts! = we all have our faults!
saperlipopette = goodness me! good heavens!
bonne rentrée = have a good fall (happy back-to-school, return from summer)
amicalement = yours (way to sign off a French email or letter)
LA RECETTE DU JOUR: La Tarte Tomate
Visit the tasty recipe archives and discover this most delicious way to use some still-in-season tomatoes. Click here.
Click the recipe link above this photo for easy instructions on how to make a tomato tart.
I leave you with a homey scene from La Ciotat, France. Prenez soin de vous et à bientôt!
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Hi Kristin
It’s obvious your “fan club” has missed you. Goodness we have been friends for a few years now. Visiting both of your wineries and enjoying your stories.
Okoboji, Iowa is where we call home. Of course love traveling to France and try to put you on the radar each time we come.
Good to have an update on your family. Kids are growing up as well as all of us! 😉. Wine seems to be in your family’s cards. We will look forward to to your next adventure!
Till then, keep writing ~ we have missed you!
Hi Kristi.
I’m Bill from Peekskill, NY, writing from Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, BC Canada where I am briefly staying with my FDNY firefighter son, on the eve of 9/11, when he lost half his crew. My late wife, his French Canadian mother, would have loved to have met her granddaughter, Violette, who is one year old today. My Dad and my Mum met because her home was destroyed in Belfast, N. Ireland during the WW2 blitz, and she moved to her Aunt’s out of town home and met my Dad. I was born in the middle of World War II.
Dear Kristi,
Extraordinarily happy that you are back! Hope you are refreshed and renewed! It seems your family is well, so that is reassuring.
My husband George and I met in France as teenagers when our fathers were assigned to NATO in Fontainebleau for three years. After we left I just had to go back…two more years for college in Paris. Living in France, especially at the age we were, changed our lives forever.
Everyone has their story as to why they love France. So interesting to read your Reader’s stories. Very grateful to you for sharing your story in such depth and taking us along for the ride!
Hi Kristi and Everyone,
I am French and I live near Malibu, California, with my darling American husband. I discovered Kristi’s writing when an Australian friend from Melbourne asked me to send her the “Words in a French life” book. I had lived at some point for 1 year in the Provence and fallen in love with it. I am still in touch and visiting occasionally. During my year in Provence I learned so much about plants and food, it still influences how I eat (that and an unforgettable vacation in Greece) and thyme is one of my 2 go-to remedies. Here is our favorite pizza recipe, similar to the one my Mom always made:
One’s favorite pizza crust
(or left-over bread dough rolled out)
Cover it with Onions, Tomatoes, and black Olives
Sprinkle generously with olive oil
Sprinkle with thyme
Bake according to your crust
Your house will smell delicious and I hope you love it as much as we do!
Oh and my favorite thing in life is the feeling of peace that is inside ourselves.
Love to all
Bonjour Kristi, Merci pour vos messages agréables. J’aime les recevoir et heureux de les voir de retour. Je suis de Sydney en Australie.
Coucou, Kristi! I have been following your blog for many years, and I think of you as a dear friend! I lived and studied in Aix-en-Provence for a year back in the 1970s and it was indeed one of the most magical and entirely happy years of my life. I love your posts, your big heart, your humanity–plus of course your husband and mother and stories. I work in college textbook publishing and live in a college town in western Minnesota, where my husband is a professor of history. We have a large garden, always with lots of tomatoes, so your tarte tomate has graced our table more than once!
Amicalement, Ann
I have made this tarte loads I make in England and when in France, and it goes down a treat with everyone
Nice to see your email again. I’m Geary, I live on the San Francisco peninsula. Only memory of WWII was in 1945 when I was about 4-5 years old. A WWII fighter plane clipped the cross on a church nearby and crashed soon after. My older brother took me that night to see the tail section that ended up in a street not far from us. Recently I was wondering if I really remembered this and called him. He was about 15 at the time and said that my memory was correct.
My last visit to France was Paris in 2008 where I took a 3 week class at the L’Atelier 9, not far from the Folies Bergère (much to the amusement of local french people I met when I told them where L’Atelier 9 was).
Saw you and Jean Marc in San Francisco quite a few years ago when you were there for his wine business. Glad to hear that your family is doing well.
Look forward to your emails in the future,
Geary Arceneaux who is not good with languages despite my French classes, but still hoping to get back to France again.
Hello Kristi – so good to get your post! My name is Jennie and I live in rural Maryland. I met a French couple living here and came to find out they have a home in La Ciotat! My husband, son, and I were invited to visit June 2020 but we all know how that turned out…Covid altered everyone’s lives. So reading your post is the next best thing to a visit. Today I made your tomato tart and plan to serve it to friends with rose…..salut!
Welcome back, Kristi and family! I missed you this summer. I am from Texas. We lived in Paris from 2003-2007. Your word-a-day blog keeps me in touch with everything I love about France. I learn about life through the experiences you share in your thoughtful reflections. I feel like a close family friend as well as a big fan! Keep up the great work! Bisous a tous!
Welcome back, Kristi!
Hi Kristi! Nice to see you back. I’m Denise and live in Claremont, CA. I’ve been studying French for some time, but most recently began taking private lessons. Your French vocabulary and the opening phrases have been motivators. Merci! Currently my husband and I are preparing for a three-week scouting trip to the south for France in preparation for a multi-month trip starting next spring. We will be scouting rentals between you in La Ciotat, Nice, and Avignon to the north. Looking forward to spending some time in your region. Glad to have you online and via email once again . . . and glad to hear all the family is well.
Hi Kristi and welcome back to all your family!
I am sooo happy to see your email and to know you are back on FWAD! I’ve missed your wonderful life stories, and of course all the interesting French words. I spend most of my time reading, looking at all the wonderful places I want to visit. Trying to be safe & patient during the latest pandemic surge. In light of that I joined a knitting circle started by my Assistance League group. It’s been a lot of fun learning something new, making knitted slippers/hats/etc for college students who have ‘graduated’ out of the foster care program and who are now basically on their own, trying to continue their education. Also, I’m enjoying clearing out cupboards and most especially working through years of photos. Photography is big in my life and gives me many wonderful memories of family and of all the special places I’ve been able to visit – France being my favorite! I even dream sometimes of places there. Like that little Tea Shop we met at in Paris, by the apartment Chris & I were renting on the little rue du Commerce St Andre – when Jackie was in Paris at an interview for a design house program. I hope to get back to Paris again, but waiting for the ‘all clear.’ Take care and welcome back!!! Amicalement, Judi
Coucou Kristi, je m’appelle Caroline et j’habite en Normandie, près de Honfleur. Ex-traductrice (et officier de marine, eh oui). Je suis née à Toulon, vous devez bien connaître. Votre blog me permet d’entretenir mon anglais et de garder un petit oeil sur le Sud de mon enfance. Merci pour vos articles à la fois intéressants et amusants.
I’ve been a loyal reader since 2003! It’s been so fun following your adventures, kids growing up, etc over the last 18 years. I studied French in college and after graduating from college lived in Geneva, Switzerland where my American ex-pat Aunt, Uncle and cousins lived in 1991. My dream was to live the life you have and are living! Alas, 1991 was a challenging time to find work and my French was not quite solid enough (needed work visa to get a job/needed job to get work visa!). I’m a California Native (SF Bay Area) but moved to Seattle in 2002 and now live in apple/pear orchard country in Central Washington State. I’m married to a supportive partner and we have two kids – 20 year old junior in college and high school freshman in daughter. We’re avid mountain bikers, hikers, explorers and are hoping to make our way over to Europe next June. Thank you for the blessing of this newsletter. It keeps my toe in the French waters.
Greetings from Princeton NJ, where this Francophile has recently avidly rekindling her love for studying French. I’m new to your blog but will savor discovering it this year! I’ve visited Paris and Lyon but hope
to explore other areas and hearing other accents in the future!
Bonjour Kristi, Je suis Charles (aka Cab Man). Looks like all is well and “normal” there after the hiatus…..cheers to the return of the blog, and all you people. Martha and I are still hoping to get down to Miami to visit Jackie, but it’s almost as difficult as trying to get into France. Oh well C’est la vie!
Charles et Martha
Hi Kristi,
Welcome back! 😊
Met you and Chief Grape first time in Vaucluse in 2009 when there was only a newly pregnant Braise in the house. On the same day we got to know Lauren and Tim and Lou and Gary from the US. Still remember sitting under the mulberry tree enjoying the view of Mont Ventoux…
Still living in Copenhagen.
Bonjour Kristi! I am Amanda: originally from Sydney, Australia, now living en retraite with my English husband, dog and cat in beautiful Basse-Normandie, after 5 years in Norwich and Oxford, UK, and 23 years in St. Louis, Missouri. We are all triple nationals (Aust-Brit-US)–except the American animals who have become French much more easily than we have. We bought our 17th century farmhouse in 2011 as a maison secondaire, spent most summers here, renovating and restoring, and had to hasten our permanent arrival due to Brexit (ugh). We now await our titres de séjour…We are both scholars; I’m an art historian working on French modernism, David is a medievalist. We love life here, it’s a great place to research and write, and I am happy to find your blog and connect with other Anglophone expats.
Hey, Kristi’s back. Excellent. I’m Karen, about 50 miles east of NYC in a beachy suburb. I just retired from many years as a clinician in an adult day program. Time is now used fixing my old house, gardening, writing, and coping with troisieme adventures with friends and neighbors. I don’t remember WWII but my uncle jumped at St Mere Eglise. He did come home. French language and culture has been missing from my life for many years. I’m enjoying the return. Tomato pie is the best. Thanks for that recipe.
How exciting, Janie! I attended UNH many years ago and did the Camino in 2017. A life changing experience. Enjoy!
Hi Kristi, Delighted to see your emails again. You always add a bit of cheer to my days. I’m Gail from Holualoa, Hawaii. Heart of Kona coffee, I studied in Dijon almost 50 years ago. A highlight of my life. I travel to Groix, Bretagne, often. I love year round gardening here…papayas, pineapple, avocados. Plants grow like Jack and the Bean Stalk. 🙂
Greetings Kristi & Fellow Readers. I am a native & resident of California’s Central Valley. It’s very hot and smokey here. Sadly, the West continues to burn. I’ve been reading this column for a few years now, always enjoying learning about life in France, the language lessons, and your family.
Hello, welcome back! I am Susan and I live in Norwich, in the UK. I was introduced to your newsletters many years ago by my friend who spends part of the year in Norwich and the rest in Limoux, from where she shares photos of her “other life”! I’m glad you’re posting again, I’ve missed them! Susan x
Coucou Kristi!
Je m’appelle Sue et j’habite en Australie (dans une petite ville qui s’appelle Berry, NSW). Je suis d’origine anglaise, et je suis une vraie francophile depuis l’âge de 10 ans.
Mon fils habitait Aix en Provence pendant 5 années (2008-2013) quand il travaillait à Cadarache, et nous en avons profité en lui rendant visite(s) de l’Australie plusieurs fois! La région est magnifique, comme la plupart de la belle France.
Je crois que mon cœur reste toujours en France!
Merci pour ton blog qui me fait penser de toutes mes visites en France – bonne continuation!
Sue