Psst. There, in the right-hand corner. A cat in a box on a steep ledge. Ever feel like that? (photo taken in 2006, in Italy). même pas peur! (mem pah purr) : Not afraid! Même pas peur is an expression French kids say when confronted with something or someone daunting. It means “I’m not a bit afraid!” Audio File: Listen to me talk … Continue reading même pas peur!
Père et Fille. Jean-Marc and Jackie (did you read her letter on maquillage?). Tomorrow, March 29th, is Chief Grape's 45th birthday! la prise de conscience (preez-deuh-kon-see-uhns) : realization Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the French words below: Download MP3 or Wav file Cette prise de conscience était un peu troublante. Il parait que ma peau a vignt ans de plus que moi. This realization was … Continue reading la prise de conscience
Tuesday is Valentine's Day! Don't miss these excellent French terms of endearment. Be sure to scribble one of them into a card or, better yet, whisper one of these into someone's oreille! Photo "Waiting for some Sweethearts" taken in Paris. bosse (bohce) noun, feminine : bump J'ai découvert une bosse sur la tête. I found a bump on my head. A Day … Continue reading bosse
Life's merry-go-round. Read on, in today's letter. (Photo of le manège taken in Marseilles) aigre-doux (ehgrh-doo) : bittersweet Bonjour les amis, I wanted to update you on the good news. Blossoming in Provence made it to #31 in the hot new releases at Amazon.com! I returned home from Marseilles, yesterday, to a flurry of excitement in the comments box (please check it out … Continue reading aigre-doux
"Alternative Blackboard" (seen yesterday, in Avignon). Alternative. I love the word, ever since discovering alternative music back in high school, thanks to the guy for whom I ditched the prom (we listened to The Smiths, instead). The following story (not about the guy or ditching) was written a few years ago… it's called Beauty and the Buck and it's simply an alternative to the story column below, or … Continue reading draguer
Saperlipopette! Not a cat in the house (well, apart from this one… see her in the lower window pane?) I suspect readership may have… strayed… as a result of these ongoing "derma dialogues"… but I'll stick to my guns, as any woman from the wild west would… and continue to tell my story. Meantime, I'm offering an alternative read! Today meet the vamp who showed … Continue reading dodo
On today's "reading options" menu (alternatives to what may be, for some (including myself!), a gruellingly long retelling of a short hospital stay), we've got drunk birds (the ones who dip through our vineyard each winter) …and (option two) continue reading the latest installment in the skin cancer chronicles. Voilà, the choice is yours: a) Drunk Birds (click here) or b) Drunk Patient… either way, je vous souhaite bonne … Continue reading patienter
Fed up to your forehead with hospital stories? Je sympathise! Just skip, or saute, today's skin-cancer chronicle… and scroll guiltily or sneakily or self-consciously to the end of the page, to read, instead, about Chief Grape… on second thought, who wouldn't want to read about a hunky French winemaker? (But I do have faith in you and I trust , lecteur or lectrice fidèle, that you'll … Continue reading chariot-brancard
Not keen on reading another installment about skin cancer? Pfff! I don't blame you! Just skip the following story (I promise it's not gory! you'll even meet another great woman…) and click over here and read a story ("Ripping off the Winos") about shortchanging the locals (it's the last time the French ever asked an American to mind the cash register, and with good treason reason!). … Continue reading calmant
Butterscotch leaves are collecting along the tree-lined lanes in our village. And in this photo, taken in Suze-la-Rousse a few years back, leaves are turning rouge. la cheville (sheuh vee) : ankle jusqu'à la cheville = ankle-deepelle ne vous arrive pas à la cheville = she can't hold a candle to youavoir les chevilles qui enflent = to have a big head, to … Continue reading cheville
