Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 34
December 10, 2018
Do you miss the vineyard? + A handful of French vocabulary
Looking back. Photo by my Mom.
A question I am sometimes asked is: Do you miss the vineyard? The answer is often the same: I don't look back. (One exception is when I am going through the blog archives, and come across a lively story like today's....)
le sanglier (sahn glee ay)
: boar, wild pig
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE... by Kristin Espinasse
I was surfing online, looking for information on how to discourage wild boars from gobbling up our grapes, when I stumbled into a forum at aujardin...
December 5, 2018
From the French Alps to the Colorado Rockies: Notre fille s'installe
In books: Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled: Diane Covington-Carter grew up haunted by her father’s stories of his time in France during World War II and the orphan boy, Gilbert, who he tried to adopt and bring home. Fifty years after the war, can she possibly find Gilbert to tell him that her father never forgot him? Order the book.
Today's word: appartenir
: to belong
Listen to the following sentence in French, click here
On donne tout à nos enfants y compris des peurs qui ne leur a...
December 3, 2018
Rebelote. Another burglar? When the sonnette rings after dark and you are all alone....
Eight Months in Provence, A Junior Year Abroad, 30 Years Late
For thirty years, Diane Covington-Carter dreamed of living in France and immersing herself in the country and language that spoke to her heart and soul. At age fifty, when she set off to fulfill that yearning, she learned that a long-cherished dream can become even more powerful from the waiting. Order the book.
Today's Word: le flouze
: cash, dough, moolah
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE...by Kristi Espinasse
Last night I was start...
November 30, 2018
How to say Raincoat (or Mackintosh) in French + update on our daughter!
The following was written days after the November 13, 2015 attack in Paris. Thank you for reading and sharing this journal with a friend.
Today's Word: imperméable
: raincoat, mackintosh, mac
: weatherproof, impervious (adj)
Imperméable. Nous sommes très fiers de Jackie pour la réalisation de son imperméable.
Raincoat. We are very proud of Jackie for completing her raincoat.
(Hear the example sentence: MP3 file)
A French Christmas - French music for the season. Order here.
A DAY I...
November 26, 2018
La Voie Douce--the gentle path here in La Ciotat
Mom took my picture in a patch of winter lavender, found along La Voie Douce, or Gentle Path--a wonderful place to walk, ride your bike (or trottinette) here in La Ciotat. More about our walk, below.
Today's word: la voie
: path, way
How colorful my daily walks have become since dragging Mom along with me! Even if she never wants to go: Honey, it's cold out, I'm getting back in bed, or Sweetheart, my hip hurts... are her go-to replies. But I've learned how to get her out and moving...
November 23, 2018
To be lazy in French & Why we should go to bed when the sun sets
Hibernation is life sleeping inside of us. L'hibernation, c'est la vie qui sommeille en soi. --Claude-may Waia Némia
Today's word: paresser
: to be lazy
: lounging, loafing
Click here to listen to the French sentence, above
Lately, I've noticed that when the sun goes down I'm ready to get in bed. But I wonder if 6 o'clock in the evening isn't an ungodly hour to tuck in. After all, shouldn't one be more productive--even if that means watching a sitcom?
Meantime, je me mets sous...
November 20, 2018
Tu te moques de moi? Why I don't knit anymore....
I hope you'll enjoy the following re-run or repost or revisit (ah, better word!)--it is the chance to see a story that would otherwise be lost to the spiraling depths of this blog's archives (do you ever go there?). Thanks for reading (or re-reading).
Today's Expression: se moquer de quelqu'un
: to poke fun at somebody, to tease, to pull somebody's leg
Audio file & Example Sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Tu te moques de moi? Are you making fun of me?
Dear Mr. Chief Grape,
Tant pis...
November 17, 2018
Voir un film en VO, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Freddie Mercury's new fan
Because I forgot to mention, in my essay below, what it was that most moved me about the biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, I'll say it now: Freddie Mercury refused to let anyone, whether a close family member or a hot-in-pursuit suitor, define him. With his bold example he won my heart.
Today's Expression: voir un film en VO
: to see a movie in its original language
Jean-Marc and I have not been on a date in a very long time or, as they say here, depuis un bail. Instead of whining about it, I...
November 15, 2018
They hopped the fence: how our ideas (and our chickens) take off
"Writing is for the birds!" Photo taken here in La Ciotat this morning, when things were peaceful....
Today's Word: les guillemets
: quotation mark
I set out to tell you a story about fugitive hens (no worries, they're back) when every possible distraction known to man or bird befell me. Welcome to a typical beginning to each and every writing session.
If I am currently typing this on my mobile phone, squinting at a tiny screen while hunched over my kitchen counter, it is because I refuse...
November 12, 2018
Mise-en-Scène: A funny thing happened before the camera got rolling!
Today, photos and a bêtise or gaffe or no-no during Saturday's filming at Château de Pibarnon. (I hope this compte-rendu isn't a further no-no--as I don't want to end up on the cutting room floor!).
Today's Word: La mise-en-scène
: staging
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
When you gotta go, you gotta go! by Kristi Espinasse
Recently, Jean-Marc and I had the chance to help out with a French documentary about how France is seen abroad by the ones who love that country. A journalist was interes...
