Category: garden, gardening

garden, gardening

Trouvaille: Surprise in the garden & a funny adage for not worrying what others think about you

The garden of wonderments. Apart from the red valerian behind my dog, learn about the latest trouvaille or finding in our garden, and don't miss the colorful expression at the end (the funny French equivalent to "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"). TODAY'S WORD: la trouvaille     : find, discovery, treasure Are you an expat in France … Continue reading Trouvaille: Surprise in the garden & a funny adage for not worrying what others think about you

Kristin Espinasse16 Comments
garden, gardening

La flemme! La grasse matinée… + Lackadaisy is not a flower

Jean-Marc and I begin Part Two of our memoir, The Lost Gardens. This project would not be possible without the support of readers. Mille mercis to those who have purchased the online edition and are reading our story and cheering us on. Without you we would be at Chapter Zero! The blog post below, written in 2013, takes us back to Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, where we … Continue reading La flemme! La grasse matinée… + Lackadaisy is not a flower

Kristin Espinasse16 Comments
garden, gardening

How to say late bloomer in French

First corn! Pictured this way it reminds me of The Good Witch's wand from The Wizard of Oz. That sure explains the magic going on around here, in the veggie patch! (Forgive me for the over-saturated photo. All that Instagraming is driving out the purist in me! More photos from our corner of France right here at Instagram.) Today's word is in English – for … Continue reading How to say late bloomer in French

Kristin Espinasse68 Comments
garden, gardening

brindille and a fun and sustainable activity + Winner of book giveaway!

Notice the flower bed to the right–filled with hand-picked brindilles! Twigs = free mulch, and they're fun to gather, too! (Had I to redo this picture, I'd put bright fluffy pillows in the garden chair, and hang beaded curtains across the cabanon's entry. Can you picture it?) une brindille (brein-dee)     : twig, stalk, sprig ramasser des brindilles = to gather, collect, or pick … Continue reading brindille and a fun and sustainable activity + Winner of book giveaway!

Kristin Espinasse48 Comments
garden, gardening, Plants

To humble oneself + what to give someone you’ve unintentionally hurt

Russian comfrey and letter of sympathy (with misspellings), reads Sir/Mam, I offer all my regrets for the loss of your chickens. I am sincerely and deeply sorry for the pain this has caused you…" (Read on, in today's story column.) se rabaisser (seuh rah bay say)     : to humble oneself, to show humility or respect Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc: Download MP3 or Wav Je me … Continue reading To humble oneself + what to give someone you’ve unintentionally hurt

Kristin Espinasse206 Comments
French Workplace, garden, gardening

Paris meet-up! + “Ticket Restaurant”: an idea worth spreading?

Looking in our kitchen window, Smokey says, "Ever seen those signs in French restaurants: "Nous acceptons les Tickets Restaurant?" "Yes, Smokey dear, I've seen those stickers in the window–but you don't need a ticket to eat at this greasy spoon! Now take a seat and I'll be right out with your Croquettes du Jour!" (Photo taken after Friday's storm, which took down our bougainvillea. But it was … Continue reading Paris meet-up! + “Ticket Restaurant”: an idea worth spreading?

Kristin Espinasse88 Comments
garden, gardening

mangetout + the thrill of sowing seeds

Smokey and the Beanstalk… this snapshot reminds me of a favorite fairy tale. (Pictured: the near transparent "mangetout" bean that sprang up in December–alongside the wire fence of the dogs' pen.  I love the camera perspective. Had the lens been moved that much more we might have placed Smokey on a branch… and sent him on a celestial journey. To think that even a slight … Continue reading mangetout + the thrill of sowing seeds

Kristin Espinasse52 Comments
Figs, garden, gardening, Insects, Trees

How to say wasp in French… and the fascinating life inside a figue!

"Ignorance is Bliss." Remember this photo from last September? Back then, while eating my way from one end of this fig tree to the other, I had no idea there was more to a fig than meets the eye….  une guêpe (gep)     : wasp Terms, Expressions, and an example sentence: la taille de guêpe = slender-waisted, hourglass figurele nid de guêpe = hornet's … Continue reading How to say wasp in French… and the fascinating life inside a figue!

Kristin Espinasse86 Comments
garden, gardening

What’s a “marsouin”? + French garden tour!

A wild boar, a hedgehog, a dog… lion… chicken. I can't find a photo of a porpoise to illustrate today's word–thankfully these furry and feathery volunteers behind a shop window are happy to pose as one. (And the handwritten ads were taped to the window by students looking for work). le marsouin (mar-swehn)  : porpoise  In old French le marsouin was pourpois (poisson-cochon, or fish-pig) … Continue reading What’s a “marsouin”? + French garden tour!

Kristin Espinasse144 Comments
Characters, Flowers, garden, gardening, Kindness of strangers

How to say crutch or crutches in French

""The rare Frenchman who uses the crosswalk" Computer is back and so are some long-lost photos from years ago! Youpie! Yay! une béquille (beh-kee)     : crutch, stand; kickstand (bike) Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the following expressions: Download MP3 or Wav file Elle marche avec des béquilles. She walks with crutches.mettre une moto, un vélo sur sa béquille = to put a motorbike or bike … Continue reading How to say crutch or crutches in French

Kristin Espinasse108 Comments