Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 42
January 23, 2018
From Red Cross worker...to most read Frenchman in the world. The inspiring story of Marc Levy
In the decade since he began writing, Marc Levy become most-read French author in the world. To all who dare to follow their dream... may today's interview give you wings!
un entretien (ontr-tee-en)
1) an interview
2) management/service (a car check-up, etc...)
Audio File: Listen to our daughter, Jackie, read the following sentence: Download MP3 or Wav file
Aujourd'hui, lisez mon entretien avec l'écrivain Marc Levy.
Today, read my interview with the writer Marc Levy.
A DA...
January 20, 2018
Cassis recommendation + Une Tuerie: a popular slang term often used by foodies and bon vivants
Looking for an authentic wine and tapas bar in Cassis, France? Read on!
UNE TUERIE
1. to die for, killer, freakin' delicious
the original meaning of tuerie is: a massacre
LISTEN - hear Jean-Marc read the example sentence in French click here
Cick here to listen to today's word
Le gâteau au chocolat de ma maman est une tuerie!
My mom's chocolate cake is to die for!
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
"A Parade of Little Plates"
by Kristi Espinasse
As we walked down to the port of Cas...
January 17, 2018
Our Current Mess + Une Alerte Orange
This book recommendation comes to you from...my wonderful dad! We chatted via Skype last night and Dad could not stop raving about Portrait of a Woman in White. If you love history, art, and romance--and are interested in WWII--buy Susan Winkler's book!
"Winkler takes a topic of growing interest, the recovery and return of art stolen by the Nazis, and weaves a story spanning 23 years about one family and one painting. Not a novel about the horrors of war... (but) the struggles of trying to...
January 12, 2018
Try this in the New Year: s'aérer l'esprit
Walking in the sea, mid-January, in La Ciotat, France. Some wore wetsuits, others (as in a man we saw just this morning) wear only an iconic Speedo!
s'aérer l'esprit
: to clear the mind
Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the following French words:
s'aérer l'esprit. marcher, promener, gambader, sont des bons moyens pour s'aérer l'esprit
clear one's mind. (to) walk, walk, gambol, are good ways to clear the mind.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
I've always...
January 10, 2018
Enchanté de vous rencontrer + rest in a teachable spirit
This photo was taken years ago, at our vineyard, but it could be our new place here in La Ciotat. We have the same chairs (from my belle-mère), same bougainvillea, same gravel, same dog. Familiarity is comforting, isn't it? If you have read this letter for years, you are getting to know our family. If you are a new reader, Bienvenue! So nice to meet you (hear our message below). New or longtime reader, it would be a pleasure to hear from you in the comments. Tell us which city you live in, y...
January 6, 2018
Les dents de bonheur - "Happiness Teeth" are part of this elogy
Dear Reader,
The regular edition of French Word-A-Day will return in a few days. Meantime, I've been trying to write a eulogy for my belle-mère without sounding too sentimental, too dramatic, or too poetic--but all of these things, from poesie to sentimentality, evoke the richness of Michele-France's life. This--and her humor, her stubbornness, and that charming gap between her front teeth (the French have a term for this: "happiness teeth" or les dents du bonheur)--only begin to paint of pic...
January 1, 2018
Bonne Année
December 30, 2017
Une triste nouvelle concernant ma belle-mère
It is with great sadness that my family and I announce that Michèle-France--mother, belle-mère and granny extraordinaire--has passed away on Christmas Eve.
We will share more about her life when we return to France for her funeral, which will take place on January 4th, 4pm local time in France.
Amicalement,
Kristi, Jean-Marc, Max, and Jackie
December 15, 2017
Mood swings in French + Catcalling Workmen?
Une balançoire, or swing, in Paris to illustrate today's word....
une saute d'humeur
: mood swing
No dog is immune to a mood swing.
Aucun chien n'est à l'abri d'une saute d'humeur
(from the book Tout sur la psychologie d'un chien (All about Dog Psychology)
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
This past Tuesday, nervous about the aller-retour to the big city, I asked my daughter to drive us to visit Grannit (how my French kids spell "Granny"). My belle-mère is in the cl...
December 12, 2017
Basculer: How bad choices (and an old tractor) killed a winemaker’s dream: Jean-Marc story is featured in this week's Wine Spectator
In this week's Wine Spectator Magazine, Robert Camuto has written a cohesive account of how things fell apart at our vineyard near Bandol. Find a link to the article in the following column.
BASCULER
: to topple over, to change dramatically
Il y a 15 mois, alors que tout "roulait" pour moi, ma vie et celle de ma famille a peu à peu basculé vers le doute et l'incertitude.
Fifteen months ago, while everything was going so well for me, my life and that of my family's took a turn, little by...
