Sometime during her second week in France, Mom moved out of grandson Max's room and into her own independent "space." Here's a view looking down from my bedroom, to Mom's "front patio" (really just the edge of our driveway that meets the house). In order to block the view of our cars–and the slew of tourists who pass by on their way to the beach–we've … Continue reading A near disaster & Ouf! Phew!
Midsummer night in La Ciotat. Families at their pop-up picnic tables, people swimming into the night, and the historic shipyard in the background, beneath a mauve sky. I'm going to bottle up this peaceful scene and shake it out in bits–in the kitchen, in the bedroom–wherever there's conflict….Two words today: gérer and débrouiller : to manage and to sort things out Audio File: Click here to … Continue reading Gérer, débrouiller: How to Let Go…and Grow.
If you take one thing away from today's post (about letting go…), let it be this: Control Juice is for wet chickens, or scaredy-cats. (Le jus de contrôle c'est pour les poules mouillés). Let go of your fear–and your controlling nature will disappear. Faire bon ménage : to get along Click here to listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence Faire bon ménage signifie bien … Continue reading Faire bon ménage? Golden retriever and chickens & CONTROL JUICE (is it fueling you, too?)
Thank you very much for clicking on the flyer above, from my friend and sponsor, Tess! Several of you have enjoyed her Paint in Provence tours. Hopefully more readers will discover Tess's colorful Provence! Today's Word: cochonnerie : junk food : mess, crap, rubbish, junk Click here to listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these French words: Les bonbons, les restaurants de nourriture rapide, … Continue reading Grignoter & Cochonnerie: What it really means when your family says, “There’s nothing to eat in this fridge!”
Today's expression is inspired by a few choice words in the (clickable) flyer above. Thanks, Julie, Daniel and Arthur, of L'Ecole de la Bière in Nice, for a cool phrase to share in French. faire fureur : to be all the rage Cela fait fureur. It's all the rage. Click the link below, to listen to this sentence Faire fureur A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE … Continue reading It’s all the rage, in French: Beer & Tarts (Tarte à la tomate et à la moutarde) A sure favorite so don’t miss this!
The sign on the shop in Aix-en-Provence reads “Atelier d’Optique” and today’s story is about the eyes… Today's word: Les yeux : eyes The English translation follows below, in bold. Click to listen to the French: Les corps flottants sont des taches sombres qui se présentent sous la forme de points, de cercles, de lignes ou de toiles d'araignée et qui semblent se … Continue reading Eyes in French & Seeing spots? Relax, those are floaters! Les corps flottants et le champ visuel….
Notice the cushion on the bench, left. More in today's story! Today's Word: le but : goal Click here to listen to Jean-Marc read the following words:Le but. Hier soir La France a marqué quatre buts pour gagner la finale de la Coupe du Monde de football. Goal. Last night France scored four goals to win the soccer World Cup. A DAY IN … Continue reading Move Mom into the wine cellar? + France wins!
Au revoir Mexique. Our Mom is about to begin a new chapter in France! On ne s'ennuie jamais : never a dull moment Click here to listen to on ne s'ennuie jamais A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFEA blow to her wings, not to her spirit! by Kristi Espinasse My mom has been an expat in Mexico for 25 years (the same amount of time I've … Continue reading When an expat’s expat parent comes to live with daughter in France: After 25 years in Mexico, Mom is moving in!
Our family lived on two French vineyards during the last 10 years, beginning in this 2007 post. Ann Mah's book brought it all back–the sights, the sounds, and the scents–especially the beauty, the history, and the passion behind it all. I learned more about wine reading Ann's book, in addition to details of WWII (like the humiliating punishment for collaboration horizontale–or sleeping with the enemy!). The … Continue reading Even Cheese Puffs sound elegant in French: Gougères recipe and post by Ann Mah, author of The Lost Vintage
Jean-Marc and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary by picking up a fleet of ordures (garbage) along with other volunteers. We joined Amélie (left of center, beside JM) in her One Footprint on the World initiative. I have never met so many joyful litter-pickers. (Facebook page here.) Speaking of doings, a lot of stories are streaming by–a fleet of daily happenings both big and small. Both our daughter … Continue reading A slang way to say “water” and when the French can’t get good wine they make it in the hallway!
